Lara should have set attacking field

It is a reflection of how people perceive West Indies cricket to have slumped, when New Zealand can be favoured in a limited-over game be...

It is a reflection of how people perceive West Indies cricket to have slumped, when New Zealand can be favoured in a limited-over game between the two teams. Every registered bookmaker in the United Kingdom that chalked up prices for the game, had New Zealand as favourites to win at Southampton. True, New Zealand had recently beaten Australia, one of the pre-tournament favourites, but the West Indies had just drawn a seven-match series against the same opposition, three-all in the Caribbean with one game declared a tie.

That game would have been won by the Windies in Guyana, but for the enthusiastic fans who invaded the ground a little too early. A win in that game would have meant a series victory for the Windies. Had everyone forgotten the series already?

Once again, the winning of the toss was very important and Lara had no hesitation in asking the opposition to bat first. As has been the norm in in most matches so far, the ball swung and seamed around under murky skies and New Zealand were soon introuble. Ambrose and Walsh, the dynamic opening bowlers for the Windies had New Zealand tottering at 13 for two in no time, and they were ably supported by King and Dillon, the other two seamers, to have the Kiwis at 59 for five. They had a bit of a revival to close their innings on 156 all out in the 49th over, but that was just not enough for their bowling attack to defend.

Ambrose had been having fitness problems and missed the game in Dublin against Bangladesh, but was back near to his best for the game. Still he was asked to bowl his 10 overs on the trot.

If there was something to fault about the Windies8217; performance in the field, it would have to be the captain8217;s tactics when New Zealand were losing those early wickets. Lara is not the only captain I would wish to fault where that is concerned because as stated before, most teams batting against the new white ball, have lost early wickets.

Yet none of the captains have elected so far to set much more aggressive and attacking fields than thecustomary two slips and maybe a gully at most. With all these great fast bowlers operating in this tournament, I am at a loss to understand why a team can have the opposition four or five wickets down for fifty or less runs and not employ at least three slips and a gully. That is an ideal opportunity to get more wickets and try and bowl teams out cheaply, but no, the fields remain and the opposition more times than not are allowed to consoliate and make some sort of recovery.

I am waiting on the first dynamic captain to really get stuck in and go for it. It should be interesting to see people like Shaun Pollock and Allan Donald, Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose, Shoaib Akhtar and Wasim Akram, Glenn McGrath and Damien Fleming, Darren Gough and Alan Mullaly operating with this new ball to fields of three slips and a gully and possibly even a forward short-leg.

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As most people thought, the Windies had no serious problems in getting the 157 runs required. The seven-wicket win was emphatic in the end, but itdidn8217;t come as easy as it could have been. The ball still had a few tricks to play on the Southampton pitch but Ridley Jacobs again showed great maturity and strength of character to compile 80 runs not out to add to his five catches behind the stumps. He was easily the man of the match.