Australia's Ricky Ponting (left) and Brad Haddin (right) celebrate the wicket of the West Indies' Ramnaresh Sarwan for 11, in the third test match at the WACA ground in Perth, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009. (AAP Image/Tony McDonough)
It seems paradoxical that West Indies captain Chris Gayle won both the Man of the Match awards in the Adelaide and Perth Tests and Player of the Series award, yet was severely criticized before the tour commenced for being ‘against Test cricket’.
But the same ‘anti-Test cricket man’ went a long way in reviving interest in Test cricket this summer by two contrasting knocks in Adelaide and Perth.
The series which ended yesterday was not exactly a replica of the thrilling 1960-61 series. But the final two days of the second and third Tests produced exciting cricket with result in doubt until the last day.
Before this series started, the interest from the Australian public was lukewarm, especially after the Windies lost the first Test in Brisbane by an innings and 65 runs in three days.
Critics labelled the side as among the worst ever to tour Australia in decades.
Gayle was especially disappointing with his lack-lustre batting on the Gabba. The only positive for the tourists was teenager Adrian Barath who scored a valiant 104.
This was their darkest hour before the dawn.
Despite losing their strike bowler Jerome Taylor in the next two Tests and batsmen Barath and Shivnarine Chanderpaul in the final Test, the visitors improved dramatically.
And it was their much-maligned skipper who lifted them to unexpected heights. Gayle hit two glorious centuries in consecutive innings in Adelaide and Perth and the ugly ducklings were soon transformed into swinging swans.
When heaping praises on Gayle we must not forget Dwayne Bravo who was here, there and everywhere scoring a century in the first innings in Adelaide, taking spectacular catches and bowling accurately.
He was also supported by Australia-born Brendan Nash and the Windies took a 12-run lead into the second innings of the second Test. The small-statured quickie Kemar Roach and the tall aggressive spinner Suleiman Benn bowled with waspish venom.
Suddenly, realising that they could level the series 1-all, Gayle played a dogged un-Gayle-like innings, an unbeaten 165 off 285 balls and carried his bat.
Mitchell Johnson bowled with fire to take eight wickets in the match. At one stage Australia was struggling to save the Test, being 5-139 chasing 330. But Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin steadied the ship and drew the match.
The Perth Test was a thriller all the way and will be remembered for the 72-ball century by Gayle (with 9 fours and 6 spectacular sixes) in the first innings and a 128 run stand between Narsingh Deonarine and Nash in the second when chasing an unlikely 359 for a win.
They came close but were thwarted by the ebullient Doug Bollinger bowling superbly.
Unfortunately, this Test will also be remembered for the on-field altercations involving Benn, Johnson and Haddin. The authorities should take serious steps to stop aggro on the field. They are not children and should behave like responsible adults. No use pointing fingers and bats at each other.
The Review system failed again, especially off the final ball of the final Test which gave Australia a 2-0 victory and the Frank Worrell Trophy.
Australia was clearly superior in the first Test but the honours were shared in the next two.
Despite a few disputes, Test cricket was the real winner in the series. We witnessed engrossing performances in Adelaide and Perth.
Bring on the Pakistanis in the Boxing Day Test on the MCG.
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vinay verma said | December 21st 2009 @ 6:37am | Report comment
Kersi, I was one that doubted Gayle’s commitment to Test Cricket. He did not endear himself with his ill chosen remarks on the eve of the World Twenty20. After Brisbane I questioned it even further. I believe the change came because of Joel Garner. I feel he read the riot act before Adelaide and suddenly it was a different team. The Big Bird is passionate about West Indies cricket and this is rubbing off even on Gayle.
I cannot fault Gayle for his attitude in the last two Tests and he was a desrving Player of the Series. Self belief is so important. New playlers like Deonarine and Dowlin know that they can compete at this level and will get better. Australia had to scrap hard and this resulted in tensions. I appreciate passion and this was good to see from both sides. But there has to be a line and for me this was crossed by Watson. I am not so fussed about Benn and Haddin. It was not desirable but these things happen and can be excused. The fines were inequitable and both haddin and Benn should have got the same penalty. Watson’s behaviour was petulant and he would be embarassed if he sees the replay. Personally,it made me cringe. However Gayle was restrained and did not linger and inflame the situation. In the days befor TV someone would have taken Watson behind the sheds and given him a fearful dustup.
As we enter 2010 Test Cricket has provided some enthralling contests and last nights England /SAF Test went down to the wire. Who says draws are boring?
This is the best time of the year and I hope the Boxing Day Test and the New Year’s Sydney Test will prove the vitality of Test Cricket.
Brett McKay said | December 21st 2009 @ 7:38am | Report comment
completely agree Kersi, this has been a wonderful series, well among the great contests that the Frank Worrell Trophy has been been previously fought. I don’t suppose we’ll be seeing anything along the lines of “I was wrong” from Robert Craddock this week, who after the Brisbane Test declared that the series should be cancelled and all tickets refunded.
Adelaide and Perth were both entralling, hard-fought (almost literally, unfortunately) Test matches. Anyone that had tickets to all days in Perth would be hard-pressed to pick the standout day.
Full credit to Gayle for the way he gathered and inspired his troups, and I have to admit that when he flew home before the first Test, I smelt a rat. This is one of the rare occasions where I was happy to be proved wrong. In Dwayne Bravo, I see a future West Indian Captain, he really is a quality all-rounder of the highest order, I’d even argue he’s the best all-rounder in world cricket currently.
Funnily enough, Pakistan will now do well to perform as well as the Windies have, starting Boxing Day. We never even dreamt that would be the case five weeks ago. I see our sometime Roar colleague Geoff Lawson has unsurprisingly declared Pakistan will push Australia in the three Tests, and I hope he’s right.
—–
Looking forward to our catch-up on Day 1 in Sydney too, Kersi. If any other Roarers are going to be at the SCG on Day 1, feel free to join Kersi, myself, and Vinay for a frothy one in the bar/beer-garden area down behind the Churchill Stand midway through the second session.
vinay verma said | December 21st 2009 @ 8:06am | Report comment
Confirming I will be there Brett and look forward to catching up with you and any other Roarers.
Kersi Meher-Homji said | December 21st 2009 @ 8:37am | Report comment
Brett and Vinay,
I’ll be there at the SCG on day 1 and looking forward to meeting you two and others from Roar.
My prediction? Phil Hughes will be on 78 not out when we meet!
Brett McKay said | December 21st 2009 @ 9:14am | Report comment
Ponting’s elbow would have to be much worse than is being made out for that to be the case, Kersi!!
Kersi Meher-Homji said | December 21st 2009 @ 9:53am | Report comment
Not after he hits centuries in both innings on the MCG in the first Test!!
I know, Brett, I am an incurable optimist. But I feel Australian cricket’s future is in young guns’ hands. How can anyone drop a player who scored centuries in both innings in a Test against South Africa in Durban only nine months ago?
Brett McKay said | December 21st 2009 @ 10:21am | Report comment
Kersi, I would have thought that you of all people would know not to look for logic where there almost certainly isn’t any!!
Kersi Meher-Homji said | December 21st 2009 @ 10:35am | Report comment
I’m not sure whether this is a compliment, Brett. Think, it is. Or is it? Two negatives confuse me.
Brett McKay said | December 21st 2009 @ 10:53am | Report comment
no, I just mean in trying to work out why Hughes was dropped – no point trying to find logic in the decisions of selectors, because I doubt any is used in some cases!!
Crazy Dave said | December 21st 2009 @ 12:54pm | Report comment
‘Twas a fantastic series… and with the recent action between NZ and Pakistan and the current action in South Africa (against England) you certainly can’t say that Test Cricket is dead… or even dying….
As to the review system… read this article where it is stated that amongst the technology used for the Review, is a supersensitive stump microphone… and on that they were able to hear the ball hitting the bat…
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/21/2777335.htm
Brett McKay said | December 21st 2009 @ 1:01pm | Report comment
thanks for that link Crazy. It’s just a pity that that information wasn’t able to be readily passed on the various commentary teams, because from viewing the same technology that we saw at home, they were also of the opinion that the ball missed the edge. Had we have been told that (or even been able to hear it), it might have allayed plenty of concern. We did get to see Snicko eventually, but not for another good couple of minutes after the game had been well and truly concluded…
Campbell Watts said | December 21st 2009 @ 1:11pm | Report comment
Were we all convinced with the snicko evidence though??
I thought with no evidence of a nick on the hotspot you would argue the noise must have been caused by something else!
I wanted to see the game continue – it was so bloody riveting!! I thought every ball was going to be the end of it, or a boundary – you just couldn’t tell what was coming next, great stuff!
Brett McKay said | December 21st 2009 @ 2:11pm | Report comment
not really Campbell, no. It certainly wasn’t the tall, sharp noise peak that you’d expect from an edge, but with the bat out where it was, it couldn’t have been anything other than bat. But the spin tragectory of the ball didn’t even change, so I still don’t know i) what Billy heard in the first place, and ii) how the evidence displayed could support the original decision.
But it’s all academic now I guess..
Mushi said | December 21st 2009 @ 1:51pm | Report comment
But how come they can’t see it on hotspot?
It’s been a while since my high school physics but I’m pretty sure if the collision produced a noise then it produced heat.
If hotspot is that bad that it can’t pick up the heat (though I doubt it is) then they should shelve it and not use it for the purpose of review
Brett McKay said | December 21st 2009 @ 2:14pm | Report comment
Mushi, my only explanation is that the nick was so faint that it didn’t generate enough heat to show up. Or make that much noise.
Perhaps we’re coming at this from the wrong direction – maybe we should be applauding Billy Bowden for his ability to hear such a nick…
Crazy Dave said | December 21st 2009 @ 4:11pm | Report comment
Or was the camera angle wrong to see the side of the bat that did or didn’t hit the ball? I was away from my TV at the time, so didn’t see any footage…
Mushi said | December 23rd 2009 @ 10:26am | Report comment
If Billy can honestly here a collision which didn’t generate enough heat to show up on thermal imaging then he can probably hear the in flight announcements from jumbo jets flying overhead!
Either the nick wasn’t the ball being struck or hotspot doesn’t work and should be removed
Crazy Dave said | December 21st 2009 @ 4:14pm | Report comment
You’ve also got to remember that with the review, they can’t overturn the original decision without conclusive evidence that the batsman was out or not out… so if the umpire says he was out, the review needs to conclusively prove that he wasn’t out. With that noise on the stump microphone could they conclusively prove that he didn’t hit the ball?
I don’t like technology in the game, like the way it used to be. But with the TV Companies using this technology to give us viewers a “better viewing experience”, the technology has to be available to the players and umpires…. I suppose it is the way of the future… in all sports….