Tony BeccaTHE first Test of the five-match series between the West Indies and Australia is over. It was over in two and a half days with the Windies, routed for 82 and 124, losing by an innings and 126 runs.
Was it surprising? Not at all. Despite all the hope, and all the prayers, based on their performance in England, and in the two first-class matches leading up to the Test match in Brisbane, it was always on the cards.
Can the West Indies recover? It does not seem so. The second Test is in Perth, and although the Windies bowlers, led by veteran Courtney Walsh and newcomer Marlon Black, are capable of preening themselves on the fastest pitch in the world and knocking off Australia's batsmen, there is nothing to suggest that their batsmen will be able to survive the assault of the Aussie pacers.
There is still hope, however. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who batted so well in the first Test in England and who scored 62 not out in Brisbane, is there; Brian Lara is there; and who to tell, the aggressive Wavell Hinds, the left-hander who slammed a century a few months ago off pacers Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram, spinners Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqlain Mushtaq, may be just the man to beat back the Aussies.
The Windies batsmen need to fire, and despite the argument going the rounds since the Brisbane defeat, it should have nothing to do with whether Lara goes in at number four instead of at number three.
The number three position is the pivotal position in the batting order, although some teams are so blessed that they can do otherwise, traditionally the best batsman bats at number three.
Of course there are times when changes have to made, and may be the time will come when, in the interest of the team, it may suit the captain to move Lara one place down. Only one Test has been played, however, Lara at his best is by far the top batsman on the West Indies team, and unless he and his teammates are admitting that McGrath is too good for him, he should continue to bat at number three.
Where Lara bats is not the problem: it is how he bats.
What is interesting is not that some people do not mind sacrificing others to protect Lara, and that based on their reasoning it could reach a stage where they may eventually be calling on the captain to move him down to number five or even number six. What is interesting is some of the arguments being put forward why Lara should not bat at number three. They underline the problem of West Indies cricket.
Based on some of the arguments, the ones which suggest that without Lara there is nothing and that he should be protected at all cost, the West Indies team, the same West Indies team that defeated Pakistan without Lara a few months ago, is a one man band; and based on one of them, Lara should not be in the team.
According to Joey Carew, a selector, his reason why Lara should bat at number four is this: "From where I stand, Brian is overall suited though to batting at number three, but he still looks unfit to me, he looks to have excess weight and while I expect him to make hundreds in the other matches, his fitness level is still going to be crucial."
It is an indictment against Lara if, as a professional cricketer, he is not physically fit enough to do the job for which he is being paid. It is also an indictment against the selectors if they selected a player who, on top of everything else, is not physically fit.
