THE WEST Indies will not get another opportunity to win against Australia in the Caribbean in this series.

While the team attempted to chase the largest total on the final day of a Test match at Sabina Park, it should have been cognisant of one other important fact.

Sabina Park offered something to the bowlers and the West Indies, all credit to them, were able to get 20 Australian wickets. This might not happen again.

The other pitches in the Caribbean over the past few years have been notorious for being flat. With the West Indies' current bowling attack, I don't see 20 Australian wickets falling, unless our opponents become uncharacteristically careless.

Therefore, at best, I see the remaining Tests ending in either draws or losses for the West Indies.

Not careful

With that in mind, and facing a run-rate of about 2.5 runs per over for 90 overs, the West Indies should have been careful with their wickets and batted through Monday's final day.

However, once again, the team is guilty of playing good cricket for only part of a game.

There are other reasons the West Indies will run into trouble as well. Amit Jaggernauth enjoyed figures of 1-74 off 20 overs at a run-rate of 3.70 in the first innings. That wasn't bad if you take into consideration the fact that Australia made 431.

In the second innings, Andrew Symonds took a liking to him and he had to be taken off after just three overs which reaped 22 runs for Australia at a run-rate of 7.33. This was in stark contrast to the efforts of all the other bowlers, who bowled with economy rates not exceeding 2.50.

Jaggernauth was dropped for the second Test but I'm not sure I agree with the move.

For a long time now, the West Indies bowling attack has lacked variety and a spinner is just the thing to add that difference. This is nothing new, every team in the world has picked up on this and is in the process of grooming good spinners.

The thing about introducing a spinner to international cricket is the fact that they will have to learn the hard way.

They will come in for the occasional thrashing, which is part and parcel of learning the game at the highest level.

Encourage him

When it happens, the first reaction should not be to drop the player, but find ways of encouraging him, looking at what he did wrong while he was being slapped to all parts of the ground with a view to helping him to change.

Once that is done, you will find he gets increasingly harder to deal with, and eventually, you'll end up with a world-class spinner.

I'm not saying that Jaggernauth will be a world-class spinner or has the potential to become such, but I am saying that with the West Indies' approach, we'll never know.

For the second Test, the West Indies have brought in Xavier Marshall after the 'failure' of Jaggernauth and Brenton Parchment, along with captain Chris Gayle.

Carrying Gayle is a given, but Marshall has hardly shown any reason for the faith of the selectors though, truth be told, he is a talented player.

To cement the fact that the West Indies won't be using a real spinner, they have also dropped Ryan Hinds for the second Test,. When will they learn?

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