Top order woes continue to trouble West Indies

For a side whose top six has averaged 26.22 since January 2018, it was never going to be an easy task coming to New Zealand, facing a pace attack who have terrified the best batsmen in the world

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At times, watching the first Test between West Indies and New Zealand felt like watching a game from a bygone era. Whilst the rest of the world struggles in a pandemic which has changed all aspects of our lives, there was an alarming amount of normality at Seddon Park; fans mingled without masks, players did not have to talk about life in a bubble… and yes, West Indies once again staged a top order batting collapse.

For a side whose top six has averaged 26.22 since January 2018, it was never going to be an easy task coming to New Zealand, facing a pace attack who have terrified the best batsmen in the world, in overcast conditions that favoured swing bowling. Yet the build-up to this tour had given West Indian fans a glimmer of hope that this side would be able to compete against the odds.

The return of Darren Bravo to the side, who averages 50 away from home, and scored a double century against the hosts in 2013, was the main factor. Warm-up games in Queenstown produced promising performances with the bat for him, while Kraigg Brathwaite hit a career-best 246 to further heighten expectations.

However, a Kane Williamson masterclass was to have the final say in the first Test, his 251 essentially batting West Indies out of the game by the second day, and ensuring all onus was on the West Indian batsmen to put up a big score to save the Test. John Campbell and Brathwaite put together an opening partnership of 49 runs by the end of day two, to suggest that a big score could be coming, but day two saw conditions changes as the clouds and rain entered the equation, and New Zealand’s pace quartet gleefully dismantled the side, with Campbell’s 26 ultimately being the side’s highest score in the first innings. A remarkable counter-attack led by Jermaine Blackwood and Alzarri Joseph, who put on 155 runs together, saw the team salvage some pride in the second innings, but the damage had already been done by that point: the side were 89 for 6 by the time both batsman were at the crease.

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John Campbell scored 26 in West Indies' first innings

Meanwhile, at Bay Oval, the West Indies 'A' side mirrored the senior team: a top order batting collapse was somewhat salvaged by a defiant innings of 133 by Guyanese all-rounder Romario Shepherd batting at nine. With the same issues plaguing both sides on this tour, it leads to the question, is there a systematic issue with batting in the region? The answer is no, there is undoubtedly talent, the first-class season earlier this year saw the emergence of Kyle Mayers, Joshua Da Silva and Shayne Moseley as batsmen who could make the step up to Test cricket.

But talent is only one component in forging a successful international career. Where the problem lies is the lack of players who have experienced success in the side: battles with the board which have been much publicised saw key senior players fast-tracked out of the side, and with them, their wisdom to impart on the next generation was gone. Between 2014 and 2016, Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Denesh Ramdin, who had a combined 412 Test caps between them, all played their last Test matches for various reasons and the void created by such a flurry of absences has not been filled since. Players have thus come into the setup expected to perform without anybody there to guide them and lead by example, in essence young players in the region have been sent in to fend for themselves.

Whereas New Zealand have the vastly experienced likes of Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor to guide new batsmen in the side, West Indies most senior batsmen on this tour compromised of a player who has struggled for form himself in recent times (Brathwaite) and one who had only played five Tests since 2016 (Bravo).

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Darren Bravo has only played five Tests since 2016

Speaking to Darren Bravo, himself left out of the side for over two years due to an infamous spat with the previous administration, he agrees: "When I got into the Test team (in 2010) there were a lot more experienced guys in the setup, we had the likes of Gayle, Chanderpaul, Brendan Nash, DJ Bravo, Jerome Taylor and they all sort of helped me along the way, it helped me stay calm. If I have to be frank we got rid of the senior players too quickly."

It is telling that the current side’s two eldest and most experienced players, Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel, are bowlers who have led by example, and consequently West Indies bowling attack has tended to be the side’s strong point in Tests both home and away. Bravo emphasised the current plight facing batsmen in the squad: "You need that sort of cohesiveness where youngsters come in and gel nicely with the senior players, that is one aspect that we need to get right, when you have a room full of youngsters, you look right and you see a guy who is not performing and (the same) when you look left, how can you trust this guy’s advice?"

Bravo recounted how on his debut in Galle, Gayle took him for a walk to give him advice before the Test and led by example, making an astounding 333 in that same Test. Entering this environment is what led to Bravo being one of the world’s leading batsman early in his career. "I think it’s time we start delivering and stopped talking," captain Jason Holder said after the match at Seddon Park, yet he failed to lead from the front, struggling with both ball and bat throughout the Test. Having spent the past few months playing T20 Cricket, it was clear Holder had not fully adjusted to the long ball format yet, having played just one warm up match in the build up to the Test. Rovman Powell, who led the 'A' side, had only played 11 red-ball matches before this tour, and his first over in the side’s loss against New Zealand 'A' went for 19 runs, which would not have exactly inspired the team.

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Jermaine Blackwood averaged 51 for Jamaica in first-class cricket this year

One glimmer of hope did arise though: Jermaine Blackwood, who stood amidst the wreckage in the Test and produced a fine century of calculated intent. Often criticised in the past for playing unnecessarily wild shots, and having been dropped from the side for the best part of three years, the unusually attacking red-ball specialist worked on the mental aspect to his game, averaged 51 for Jamaica in the first-class season this year, earned a Test recall in the summer and ended up being the top West Indian run-scorer in the England series, and has now performed against New Zealand.

With selection of the side tending to stick with a core group of players in recent years, it could be argued complacency had also creeped into these lacklustre performances. Yet with Shai Hope dropped for this series after being a fixture in the line-up since 2015, it looks like selectors are now ready to give more chances to those performing in the domestic scene . It is expected Hope will play the upcoming first-class season, score some much needed runs, and similar to Blackwood, return a more mature batsman. The structural inequality within the game means West Indies do not have the financial resources or facilities to truly compete with top-level Test sides, and the absence of veteran players in recent years has created a disconnect with the current side, who have lacked role models within the team.

Long term changes to governance by the new administration led by Ricky Skerrit will hopefully see some sort of improvements made at a developmental level to bridge the gap closer. Yet in the short term, it seems that the only way forward for struggling players in the current side is to look at what Blackwood has done; take a step back, reflect on their game and make technical changes, then build confidence at first-class level, before returning to the Test side on merit. It may not be enough to change the fortunes of the side at Test Level, but with consistent collapses defining the batting line up even more prominently in recent times, it is something worth trying.

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