Lack of logic, not talent, has Windies in a spin

In the first tour match, West Indies got a reasonable snapshot of what they can expect for the ODI series. The India A spinners ripped through their batting line-up and bundled them out for 148. In reply, the visitors didn’t even put up a fight as they managed to scalp just one wicket and India A chased down the target in just 25.3 overs. In the second tour match, they conceded 282 runs and lost the match by 16 runs. It was very clear what they were missing - a proper spinner. When the West Indies squad was announced, it raised quite a few eyebrows. How in the world can any cricket team come to India with just one proper spinner? [caption id=“attachment_1745843” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File picture of Sunil Narine. AFP[/caption] On spinning pitches and dust bowls, West Indies had named just one proper spinner in Sunil Narine. When FirstPost quizzed Darren Sammy about the logic behind just one proper spinner before the start of the first practice match in an open media session, here’s what he had to say. “The one proper spinner we have is a match winner in all formats. He is a champion. We have backed well the bowling unit. It is a much more experienced unit. With guys like Kemar Roach coming back, Jerome Taylor, Ravi Rampaul, there is a lot of experience in there. We just have to use the conditions quite well.” The very next day, the men from Caribbean were dealt with huge blow as the WICB decided to withdraw the ‘champion’ spinner from the Indian tour after he was reported for suspect illegal action for the second time in the Champions League T20 and banned from bowling in the final. This put West Indies on the back foot even before the start of the tour. Agreed Narine was a champion spinner (at least in the shorter formats) but there was lack of planning on the WICB and selectors’ part. Spin is the main weapon for any team that travels to India unless you have world class fast bowlers who could bowl in any conditions. The men from Caribbean do not possess a fast bowler who could single-handedly turn a match. They have medium pace all-rounders who could get smacked around on flat pitches with short boundaries. They needed a spinner who could choke the batsmen in the middle overs and perform a containing role and a spinner who could pick up wickets. Narine’s replacement - Sulieman Benn - is not a like for like replacement. In fact, the left-arm spinner is making a comeback into the side after three years. He hasn’t played limited-overs cricket since the 2011 World Cup. Depending on just one spinner is bordering on suicidal. There might be an argument that West Indies have Marlon Samuels who can bowl. But he is a part-time spinner and hasn’t bowled the full quota of 10 overs in an ODI since 2012. In the two practice matches against India A, he went for 73 runs from 12 overs at 6.08 without picking any wicket. Two proper spinners can make a different impact compared to having one proper spinner and several part-timers. There might be an argument that this strategy is targeted considering the fact that the World Cup is in Australia and New Zealand. But the men from Caribbean have just ten ODIs to prepare before the World Cup - five in India and five in South Africa. A loss in the Indian ODI series might have a significant impact on their morale. The last time West Indies visited India, they lost the ODI series 2-1. They haven’t won a bilateral ODI series in India since 2002. As Sunil Gavaskar says in his Times of India column, “The West Indians are not quite the team they used to be. They still play cricket as it should be played, with a smile and are lovely blokes off the field too. However, even they will admit that their cricketing standards have slipped somewhat and they are not quite the fearsome unit they used to be" Add to that the selection blunders and lack of planning and one would feel that it would be the same story this time around as it has been over the years. West Indies might still have the talent but it’s the lack of planning that might bring about their downfall.