Beamer responded to a question about the pitch and his answer basically foreshadowed this disaster. A fc team was bowled out for, what was it, 44? And now this. I agree with comments the WI need to produce batting pitches. So do we coincidentally. These guys don't know how to bat and will never learn on mine fields. I don't agree it will harm the WI bowlers either. Good bowlers develop on good pitches.
I don't know why some nations are producing such crap pitches. Maybe they think tests need constant action to compete with white ball games and the best way of providing that is wickets. Yet the contrast with what we're getting in England atm is telling. That series has had 3 great games with the last test the best one yet - runs in the first two innings then a real scrap for both teams in their 2nd innings. I hope Australia gets back to producing true pitches because we have a test match tradition that can be marketed against white ball pyrotechnics. I think the WI should too. I mean if no one's watching fc cricket in the islands you might as well use the the opportunity to develop some batsmen.
Having had a bit more time to think about this, yes, the pitches are a huge issue and a mitigating factor when looking at the batters performances in this series. But I still wanted to see some evidence that they had the technique to perform in better conditions.
Apart from one superb innings from King, I didn't see that. Campbell showed glimpses but he will eventually get himself out when he gets to 30odd anyway. Louis looked awful in this match.
Anderson, who I have watched a lot in fc cricket and I thought had a chance of succeeding, looked like a deer in the headlights and a completely different player from the one I know. Carty showed minor glimpses but his fc record says he will get out pretty early eventually, no matter how solid he looks.
Chase and Hope are still terrible against good pace bowling with inward movement. Both got out in identical ways to previous iterations of their test career. I should have seen this coming, if I am honest. They both came back to play an fc match against T & T at Kensington Oval in March, alongside Kraigg and Holder. They faced Seales, Phillip and Joshua James, so a decent pace attack. Barbados were bowled out for 86 and 121.
Greaves just isn't good enough for test cricket. Honest trier, excellent fc cricketer, but not a test player.
So I am at a complete loss over what we do next. We primarily have to keep this lot, with minor tweaks, and just suck it up. Its going to be a long WTC for us.
