One old warrior is enough

Thank goodness. The New Zealand series is over and we can now look for fresh ideas and, in some cases, fresh players.

The truth is, we played badly in New Zealand and an average Kiwi team were made to look better than they really are. Only resolute left-handed opener Adrian Griffith and fast improving pacer Reon King had a more than satisfactory return on the disastrous tour.

Behind every cloud there is a silver lining and both Griffith and King have seemingly solved two worrying problems.

Griffith, with a healthy average of 61, has secured the opening berth with Campbell for at least the series against Zimbabwe, while King is now the first-choice fast bowler. He is the only bowler who merits his place against the Zimbabweans.

Courtney Walsh is 37, way past his best, and only around because he is within sight of Kapil Dev's world record of 434 wickets. Curtly Ambrose, as he showed yesterday morning against Barbados, is still unerringly accurate and has exemplary control. But he can no longer blast out the opposition and clearly the West Indies selectors will have to ask themselves if at this critical juncture of our cricket we can play two over-the-hill players.

Ambrose (369 wickets) and Walsh (426) have given West Indian cricket outstanding service, but it clearly would be a backward step to play both of them and to continue with border-line players such as Jimmy Adams.

West Indies' cricket is very much at the cross-roads with options limited, talent in short supply, and the time has come for us to bite the bullet.