Team West Indies 1998-2008

[garage flower]

McLean was infuriating. Such an obvious talent and he showed it consistently in first-class cricket around the world. However, he often seemed clueless as to how to actually take Test wickets.

Reon King is another one of my favourites. And I'm convinced that he would have been an excellent bowler if he hadn't been injured when he was. His stats are also tarnished a bit by an ill-advised recall. Smooth action, good pace, decent accuracy and a good head on his shoulder. A great talent lost. As for Rose, he possessed phenomenal talent, but was a phenomenal idiot.

Never rated McLean, but wouldn't really have seen him in first class cricket. For the Windies, as alluded to above, he never looked like taking a wicket.

I certainly agree with your comments about King and seem to remember a wonderfully accurate opening spell he bowled - in tandem with Ambrose (?) - in his home debut (?) ODI series v Pakistan. He must have bowled well in the tests too, but don't remember that as clearly. That kind of performance from a young bowler is particularly resonant in the context of the dross served up by - particularly - Darren Powell last night (I went to bed before he - evidently - redeemed himself somewhat later in the day).

That Pakistan series was perhaps the last time I felt really optimistic about the Windies. Missed the start of the test series because I was on holiday, but remember being stuck in the airport while our plane was delayed and reading match reports on Hinds' heroics and Ted Dexter's comment about Sarwan having the potential to average 60 in tests (could still do it!)!

Windies eventually scrambled home in the final test thanks to a painstaking knock from Jimmy Adams, but only - from memory - after Saqlain had dropped the ball at the non-striker's end to miss an easy run out and win the series for Pakistan. Didn't Hinds put the game back in the balance late on day 4 by inside edging Akram onto his stumps unwisely attempting a hook or pull (I'm cheating a bit because Cricinfo tells me he was bowled)?

Either way, that debut home season probably represented the high point of Wavell's career and I don't think you can put him in this hypothetical team ahead of Sarwan.

Finally, it's only vague memories again due to my increasingly grey matter, but I seem to remember Rose bowling like a world beater amidst the general carnage of that 98 (?) tour to South Africa and - just two years later - like an absolute moron during the debacle in England.

 

[Richard]

So - in essence - you're denigrating Sarwan for finding it easier to score runs when run scoring is easier?

Would it be fair to say that debates that aren't of the utmost importance to you tend to be the ones you're not winning?

No.