Where is the West Indies team really headed?
Kingston, Jamaica, by Vishaal Loganathan •
Last updated on Sunday, 31 July, 2016, 05:03 AM
For a team bereft of confidence and match-changing performances, they have to draw inspiration from someplace © AFP
Ahead of the opening Test in Antigua, Phil Simmons towered over the gathered Indian journalists at the Andy Roberts end and said, in no uncertain terms, that he was not building a team for the future. This team and series will be about the results, he stressed, adding that building a team for the future indicated that they are not looking to win their games.
The very next day, West Indies captain, Jason Holder said to the same journalists that the team is a young one and that you cannot expect 'leaps and bounds'.
West Indies lost the first Test by an innings and 92 runs inside four days on a pitch that was near-perfect for batting.
A few days later, Marlon Samuels, the most experienced player in the West Indies line-up, once again underlined that saying 'We're a young team' was like trying to find excuses for not winning.
The next day, Jason Holder, addressing the press, said, "For us, it's just about getting accustomed to international cricket, familiarizing ourselves with the conditions and putting out some good performances."
The good performances were conspicuous by their absence, as West Indies were bowled out for 196 inside two sessions after opting to bat in Jamaica.
So what really do the West Indies hope to gain from this series? They have a young side, sure, but there haven't been any great performances of note. They haven't come close to winning for any part of the series thus far. The motivation to win seems nowhere in sight.
For a team bereft of confidence and match-changing performances, they have to draw inspiration from someplace.
It can come from the most uncommon of places.
In 1976, Tony Grieg's 'grovel' comments inspired the team to go all-out against the England side. They won the five-Test series 3-0, in England. Just a few months earlier, Darren Sammy had rallied his troops by saying it was 'them against the world'. They beat the world en route to their second World T20 title. Mark Nicholas's 'out of brains' comment had helped the team get together better and beat the odds.
They can pick up the confidence from their T20, Women's and under-19 teams, too. None of the teams was given a chance, but all three teams showed how good they can be. By the end of April, West Indies were World T20 champions, Women's World T20 Champions and under-19 World Champions.
The underdog narrative has worked brilliantly for the team, and it is perhaps something the Test team can take a leaf out of. Accepting reality now would mean for them to understand that they are not the team they were, and that any win would come as a massive upset.
In football, the likes of Italy (2006), Borussia Dortmund, Montpellier and most recently, Leicester City, have shown how playing the underdog has worked to their advantage. The teams take pride in beating the more-fancied, more-esteemed favourites and have eventually gone on to prove that they are better than the rest.
Maybe an approach where they take pride in challenging and winning against top opposition could provide them with the impetus to try and push themselves further.
Less than one year ago, Dinesh Chandimal scripted an epic knock against the Indians at Galle. This week in Pallekele, Mendis slammed a stunning hundred and helped Sri Lanka pull off another stunning win against Australia. Much like the West Indies, Sri Lanka are struggling to compete like they once did. But the brilliant individual knocks have helped them realize that they are only one great performance away from winning against the best.
Could a revival be sparked from such a performance? Maybe a revival is a little out of the league now, but it would definitely be a step in the right direction. West Indies would need one of their players to put his hand up and show the team what one knock or spell can do. When they have a win under their belts, the equation will definitely change.
In sport these days, there is no bigger motivation than money. The current West Indies stalwarts are all playing T20 cricket around the globe because the money is better and their performances are much more appreciated.
Manchester City's players were reportedly handed a massive incentive (more than seven million Pounds) if they could win the Premier League in 2011-12. The team almost lost the plot, but managed to cling on by the skin of their teeth. Maybe it was the money that helped them push through. The West Indies Cricket Board could very well be hard pressed for money, but big incentives for wins against big teams could well be the way for a team struggling to win.
Top teams will always find a way to draw inspiration from someplace. But West Indies are far from a top team, and they will need all the help they can get. It could come from a young tyro who's keen on making a mark, or an experienced campaigner who wants to show how it is done, or the board which wants to ensure things are shaken up, or the team itself wanting to stop embarrassing itself. What's more important is that it comes from someplace and that it makes the difference.
Building for the future might have a positive ring to it, but what is building for the future, if you're not winning? What's the use of players becoming established ones if the team is hardly developing? Does the West Indies Test team really have a future?
© Cricbuzz
