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Winning is a habit, and so is losing!
West Indies lost the first game of a three-match T20 series against Pakistan in Florida on July 31. At last, they won the toss, having lost the toss previously in every game against the Australians, in three Test matches and five T20s. They elected to field first, the popular choice of most teams participating in the limited-overs format of the modern-day game.
Shai Hope’s team made three changes to the West Indies. Fast bowler Shamar Joseph was brought in to replace his namesake Alzarri Joseph, who was given a rest owing to the workload he has been carrying from the series against Australia. Pace bowlers are normally handled delicately, for obvious reasons. Jewel Andrew was brought in for the injured Shimron Hetmyer and Brandon King, another casualty, was replaced by Johnson Charles.
Pakistan, after a blistering start, getting into the eighties in the first six overs, gradually allowed that advantage to slip and the floundering middle order couldn't pick up the slack. Therefore, what appeared to be a potential total in excess of 225, they gradually crumbled for 178. WI had an opportunity for their batsmen to concentrate. However, when not in the habit of winning, the slightest mishap plunges batsmen into gloom.
There was a pretty good opening partnership involving Jewel Andrew, a classy batsman who is only 18 years old. I was happy to watch him play in this first T20 against Pakistan, to realise what a talented player he is. He looked far more confident than his more experienced opening partner, Charles, who never seemed comfortable.
The shocker was seeing Gudakesh Motie strolling in to bat at number four. Motie is a useful slow left-arm orthodox bowler who bats in the lower order and enjoys slapping the ball around as a tailender is wont to do. However, number four in the batting order is a talented batsman’s position and certainly not for Motie. He can slap it around and although the batting order is circumspect, Motie at four is not the answer. It was a position made for someone selected for batting to gain some experience.
Maybe it’s that silly thought process that cricket commentators and officials worldwide have foisted on the modern-day game that the WI coaches and captain went for, thinking it was rational for off-spinners to concentrate only on left-handed batsmen and vice versa, that is, slow-left-arm orthodox should bowl only at right-handed batsmen.
So that great bowlers like off-spinners Lance Gibbs and Jim Laker, plus a number of others of the slow left arm variety, for instance, Alfie Valentine and Vinoo Mankad, would never have had the opportunity to be great bowlers, which they were at the highest Test level. Coaches must encourage their bowlers, the young ones especially, to bowl to any type of batsman, left- or right-handed, whether hitters or defensive-minded.
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A talented bowler can bowl successfully at any batsman. Hence, Motie was sent in, misguidedly, to counteract the Pakistan left-arm slow bowlers. That is how ridiculous the reasoning has become.
Alas, West Indies came out on top in the second of the three-match series, an absorbing T20, on August 2. The pitch, usually prepared for exciting stroke-play as befits the limited-overs format, in order to attract spectators that look forward to exhilarating cricket and a thrilling conclusion, did not live up to expectations. Although, there was not much of the former, the latter was present to enthral the most disinterested onlooker.
The pitch was slow, with a low bounce, and encouraged the turning ball that gave the slow bowlers an advantage, and its slowness gave a fillip to the medium pacers. It was an unpredictable surface. Batting would be a tough assignment in this game, hence, the Pakistan captain decided to bat first, assuming it would be more difficult to chase, given the vagaries of this pitch.
The scores reflected the unpredictability of the wicket. Pakistan could only muster 133 for nine wickets and on any normal day of T20 international cricket one would have predicted a comfortable victory for the team that’s batting second. Chasing that score would have given hope to West Indian cricket fans who, quite naturally, would expect a rare win for their team.
It did turn out a win for the WI team, who, because of the rarity of this triumph, went into a celebration mood, winning by two wickets off the final delivery. Jason Holder was the Player-of-the-Match.
 
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