There is no truth in the rumour that Mohammed Ashraful was born in Guyana. Or that he is about to be poached by West Indies as a way of adding depth and flamboyancy now missing in the once-colourful Caribbean side. While the Windies bowling attack may be willing, quite frankly the batting is so weak that it was blown away by steady — though unspectacular — Indian bowling at the blustery Rangiri Stadium. Warning signs a week ago that even the addition of Ricardo Powell to the visitors’ squad would fail to ignite their under-powered batting were all too accurate. The Ashraful joke first surfaced during the second Test against Sri Lanka earlier this month, when the West Indies failed to bat through a full session. It was at this point that a wag in the travelling media suggested that West Indies were looking to see if they couldn’t poach Ashraful on birth qualification. Behind the humour lies the gravity of the situation, highlighting a couple of areas where the Caribbean side need to sort out their modern limited overs game. To be competitive, a side needs to put an imposing total of the board. This West Indies side in their present form seems incapable of doing just that. In fact even Bangladesh displayed far more flair in the NatWest Triangular series in England than the West Indies did tonight. Their coach Bennett King highlighted this again when he agreed that the old West Indies flair was not only lacking, but no one seemed capable of taking on the Indian bowling. And when it came to their own bowling, the interesting moment was when Jermaine Lawson came to being called by Australian umpire Daryl Harper. Lawson’s elbow flexation level is still of interest and while he has been reported, the remedial process seems to be taking its time. As for the rest of the attack, West Indies needed quick wickets to put India under pressure and while Lawson collected the early scalp of Virender Sehwag, Ricardo Powell dropping Suresh Raina two balls later didn’t help their cause. The bowling of Tino Best is as colourful as always. The wicket of Mohammed Kaif was minor reward, and he curbed his desire to bowl the beamer. There is always a feeling that the Trinidadian Best is hardly the type to hang around, shake hands and offer pleasantries to the opposition at the point of victory. That is not his style. His theatrics when bowling and being dispatched brings laughter from the spectators. His ability to lure the batsman into an error causes an exaggerated scowl. Shaven headed and with a glaring snarl at the batsman rarely appreciated by local spectators, it explains his attitude towards the opposition. There are times when he looks like a cult figure from some Matrix movie set. All he needs is an ankle length leather coat and a set of knives to complete the picture. It’s a pity the batsmen don’t have the same fire and fight.
