The West Indies doing better than expected

No doubt many West Indian fans - myself included - have been pleasantly surprised by their progress in the current World Cup, but perhaps unlike my fellow fans, I am not so convinced that it has been entirely of their own doing; situations and other teams are helping them out to no small extent.

Even before the World Cup, I thought it would be difficult for them to get into the Super Six, but the West Indies are now comfortably placed, with a very important game against Sri Lanka coming up next. Before they tackle that, though, they would do well to look back and see what they did right - for a change - and where they are still suffering.

After the unexpected - but tremendously invigorating - win against South Africa, in the first game of the tournament that seems ages ago now, the West Indies should have been in an extremely buoyant frame of mind psychologically. But they proceeded to stumble against New Zealand, and if that second game did not tell their supporters what this West Indian cricket team is made of, little else can.

Simply put, the West Indies should have beaten New Zealand too, even with the by-now-famous Brian Lara run-out. New Zealand's captain Stephen Fleming may have suggested that the run-out cost the West Indies the game, but I beg to differ. To quote the West Indies captain, Carl Hooper: No man (meaning Lara) is an island - or a team, for that matter. I agree completely with that sentiment.

When Lara was dismissed courtesy the relay throw, the West Indies were 36 for two in the 10th over, chasing 242 to win. Even so, the middle order - including Hooper himself - caved. Even in spite of Ramnaresh Sarwan's big effort of 75 and Ridley Jacobs' 50 towards the end, the West Indian opening combination and muchvaunted middle order - outside the above-mentioned pair - managed only 57 runs from five batsmen.

Of these batting "failures" during the game against New Zealand, Hooper's dismissal, and not Lara's mindless third-run effort, was the worst. Not for the first time, Hooper was deliberately set up and trapped like a young school cricketer, allowed to hook and pull when the stroke was completely unnecessary. Not for the first time, therefore, Hooper failed to delivery when the chips were down. The time to perform is not when things are going well but when the situation is tough. What is necessary now for the West Indies is to regroup psychologically, toughen up quickly, and get ready for the big fray. They need to, immediately, for if they cannot toughen up now, it may soon be too late.

Even before batting against New Zealand, the West Indies had made numerous mistakes in the field. In the last 6.5 overs, New Zealand moved from 188 for seven o 241 for seven, adding 53 runs from 41 legal deliveries. Incredibly, Chris Gayle, only a parttime off-spinner, bowled at the death, his final two overs - one of them being the last of the innings! - going for as many as 28.

For me, then, Hooper lost the West Indies that particular game, due to his tactics and his inability to score runs when they were needed. If I had been Vasbert Drakes, Merv Dillon or even the then-on-song Wavell Hinds, I would have, on the field of play itself, asked Hooper if he had gone mad. He had to have been temporarily mentally challenged to allow Gayle to bowl at the end of the innings.

The rains put paid to the West Indies' efforts against Bangladesh, although I am of the opinion that they should have made at least 300 instead of their measly 244 for nine. Bangladesh's attack is such that any Test team should be able to notch up 300 against them.

The real shock, though, lay in their game against Canada. Again, the West Indies may have come out on top, but this was the same that managed less than 40 against Sri Lanka. Somehow, though, they managed 202 against the West Indies. As the saying goes, "These things only happen to the West Indies."

How can the West Indians explain Canada, who had totalled just 36 in their previous game, getting that many runs? It could, in fact, have been worse, since at one stage Canada were 155 for one. Had the Canadians been as talented and experienced as the Kenyans, with a launchpad of 155 for one in the 21st over, the eventual total would have been at least 260 - a daunting task under any circumstances. One can imagine my chagrin when I watched John Davison - who made that majestic 111 in only 76 deliveries including six sixes and eight fours, totalling 68 runs in boundaries - actually advancing down the pitch to the number one fast bowler of the West Indies, Dillon, and hitting him for six? Believe me, it brought tears of confusion, misunderstanding and despair to my eyes.

So now the West Indies are comfortable, having almost qualified for the Super Six, but after the shock loss that Kenya handed Sri Lanka in their last game - and remember! Kenya also shocked the West Indies in 1996, when I came closest to having a heart attack as at any other time in my life - do not be surprised by anything anymore.

From a West Indian point of view, especially having played for the West Indies, I am happy at their progress in the World Cup, but considerable help has been garnered from Kenya, who beat the Sri Lankans. Now the West Indies have to start helping themselves, against Sri Lanka and then Kenya, or New Zealand could just scuttle their boat.