November 06-09: West Indies founder on inexperience and lose from winning position in Test Match at Delhi

 Shivnarine Chanderpaul

West Indies’ experience costs them the Test Match in Delhi
Batsmen fail to Ashwin, yet another debutant spin bowler
Century-maker Chandrapaul is top-scorer in both innings

A young West Indies team failed to last the pace and surrendered a strong position to lose to India by 5 wickets on the fourth day in the First Test Match at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi. For the second consecutive match the tourists were undone by a match-winning performance from a debutant spin bowler – this time off-spinner Ravi Ashwin taking 6-47 in the second innings. Earlier West Indies had followed their success against Bangladesh by scoring 304 on the back of yet another century by experienced Shivnarine Chanderpaul (118 with 7 fours and 2 sixes) who put on 108 runs for the fourth wicket with stubborn 18 year-old opener Kraigg Brathwaite (63 from 212 deliveries). Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha (6-72) and Ashwin (3-81) prevented the visitors from getting an unshakeable grip on the game. The Indian innings fell apart after the first three batsmen – Gauram Gambhir (41), Virender Sehwag (55) and Rahul Dravid (54) – had taken the score past 100 with only two wickets down. The first two were dismissed in unusual circumstances as Sehwag’s drive, touching bowler Sammy’s hand, was run out and the same batsman was stumped brilliantly by Carlton Baugh when, though behind the crease, he raised his foot. Darren Sammy (3-35) hastened the collapse as India were dismissed for 209 runs – a deficit of 95 runs.
The West Indian second innings did not recover from losing opener Kieran Powell before a run had been scored. The lack of the experience that – say – Chris Gayle would have provided to the early batting was decisive. Kirk Edwards (33) tried to stem the decline but when Chanderpaul (47) was out at 124-8, after recovering from 63-6, West Indies’ cause seemed to be doomed.  Sammy hit 42 from 37 deliveries but Ashwin was irresistible and the innings ended at 180. The Indian batsmen did not disappoint a second time and the experience of fulcrum Sehwag (55), Dravid (31), Sachin Tendulkar (76) and V.V.S. Laxman (58 n.o.) moved confidently to victory at 276-5 from 80.4 overs.

November 14 -  Nero, Taylor add record stand as Windies blow away Ireland

 Stafanie Taylor

Stafanie Taylor (107) and Juliana Nero (100) hit a record 204 runs partnership from 37.3 overs as West Indies beat Ireland by 213 runs at Dhaka in the first qualifying match of the International Cricket Council’s Women’s World Cup 2013. West Indies scored 276-4 and with seamer Pearl Etienne taking 3-16 dismissed Ireland for just 63 runs. Taylor, 20 years-old, has now hit 1,575 ODI runs – the most by any West Indian woman.

November 13: Peter Roebuck – of course he knew himself

Peter Roebuck, who has committed suicide by falling from his hotel room in South Africa while being questioned by police, was an exceptional writer on cricket. He was one of the few whose contributions I made sure to read in a profession which generally has plunged headlong into mediocrity. That is not quite fair. There are still a number of outstanding writers on cricket – even if the market itself is woeful. Yet in spite of sharing press-room space with him for a number of years I have no firm personal anecdote or impression of Peter except the suspicion that he may well have been the writer who was growing to look increasinly like Heinrich Himmler as described in David Frith’s autobiography.
In the old press-box (media-centre ?) at The Oval in the 1990s a colleague asked my opinion on some issue or other of the day. “Have you read Peter Roebuck’s piece?” I asked – pointing out that it summed up my own feelings. He answered that of course he knew Peter Roebuck and had seen the article in question. It was only as he walked off that I realised that it was indeed Mr Roebuck itself. Readers will not be surprised to learn that it was around this time that the doctor diagnosed my fading eye-sight and recommended a hospital operation.

Nov 14-17: WEST INDIANS SUNK BY INDIA’S RUN AVALANCHE AT KOLKATA
BRAVO’S RALLY CANNOT MAKE UP ON LAXMAN’S LANDSLIDE

West Indies lost to India by an innings and 15 runs at Eden Gardens, Kolkata after conceding a massive first innings lead of 478 runs. The Indian middle-order batting was impervious to attack by pace or spin. Building of the sound foundation of Gautam Gambhir (65), Virender Sehwag (38) and Sachin Tendulkar (38), Rahul Dravid (119 with 9 fours and 2 sixes) and V.V.S. Laxman (176 n.o. after 280 deliveries with 12 fours) put on 140 runs for the fourth-wicket. Yet the real punch came in the 224 runs partnership for the seventh wicket between Laxman and hit hard-hhitting captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (144 from 175 deliveries with 10 fours and 5 sixes) after which India declared at a commanding 631-7 from 151.2 overs.
The West Indies batting never really got going and the tourists were dismissed for 153 runs in 48 overs. Darren Bravo (30), alone, reached thirty runs. Left-arm Pragyan Ojha (4-64) spun through the lower-order after fast-medium Umesh Yadav (3-23) had troubled the early batting. The follow-on was inevitable, but, belatedly, the West Indians rallied with Adrian Barath (62) and Kirk Edwards (60) adding 93 runs for the second wicket. Bravo (136 with 16 fours and 4 sixes) rallied resistance in partnerships of 108 runs with Shivnarine Chanderpaul (47) for the fourth wicket and 132 runs for the fifth wicket with Marlon Samuels (84 with 13 fours and one six). Once the Trinidadian was out, however, the innings fell away and only some lusty blows from captain Darren Sammy (32 from 28 deliveries) gave West Indies an outside hope of making India bat a second time. It was not to be – Yadav (4-32) ended the innings with two wickets from consecutive balls.

November 16: “What we buy, How we buy”

I attended – or intended to attend – a seminar by Rich Visions at the Holiday Inn, Stratford, East London on buying promotional space in the media. However I was running a little late on schedule and seeing the substantial and enthusiastic gathering waiting to register I gauged that with such limited space the session would be of greater value to my younger colleagues with their careers still ahead of them. So – in the time honoured phrase – I made my excuses and left. Having known Mavis Amankwah, the Managing Director of Rich Visions, for more years than she would care to remember I had no doubt that much words of good sense would have been spoken. I have been privileged to comment several times here and elsewhere on Ms Amankwah’s successful progress in the public relations in industry.
In addition to Mavis, herself, the scheduled speakers included Vik Nigam - New Business Development Manager, Nini Olorunoje – Account Executive, James Willsher – Consultant of Ethnic media week and diary 2012, and Ope Bankole – funding for commercial media workshops.  

November 22-26:
Drama at Mumbai as Test Match ends dead even
Both sides miss chances to win in tense finish
Wickets tumble after four days run-feast

The Third Test Match between India and West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai ended in the high drama of a high-scoring draw with the teams equal on 724 runs each and only one wicket to fall. As wickets tumbled regularly on the last day, after batsmen had so dominated the first four so completely that a pointless run-laden draw had seemed to be the only outcome, each side threw away chances of victory. That was literally so in the case of West Indies whose fieldsmen lost run-out opportunities with wild throws at the stumps – unlike the now legendary accuracy in similar circumstances at Brisbane in December 1960. And off the last ball striker Ravichandran Ashwin dallied in his turning for the second run which could have brought victory – in a position from which his team could not have last. It was déjà vu of Allan Donald at Birmingham in 1999 all over again.
Yet Ashwin had done enough already to be nominated player of the match and of the season. With 5-256 he put an eventual brake on the West Indies’ first innings run feast. Adrian Barath (62) and Kraigg Brathwaite (68) started off by scoring 137 runs for the first wicket. After that Darren Bravo (166 from 284 deliveries with 17 fours), whose early Test Match progressed has eclipsed that of even near-relative Brian Lara, took over in partnerships of 164 runs with Kirk Edwards (86 with 13 fours) for the third wicket and 160 runs with Kieran Powell (81) for the fourth wicket. When he was out Marlon Samuels (61) steered the lower-order towards the 590 runs total from 184.1 overs. The Indians early batting survived the early inroads of Ravi Rampaul (3-95) to prosper through half-centuries by Gautam Gambhir (55), Rahul Dravid (82), Sachin Tendulkar (94) and Virat Kohli (52). When Samuels (3-74) appeared to check the batting progress Ashwin (103 from 118 deliveries with 15 fours and 2 sixes) hit the home side to 482 from 135.4 overs – a first innings deficit of 108.
The progress towards a dull draw was shattered by West Indies’ failure against the spin of Pragjan Ojha (6-47) and Ashwin (4-34). Bravo (48), alone, approached the half-century in a score of 134 from 57.2 overs. Virender Sehwag (60) set India well on the way towards their 243 runs total. While Kohli (63) was batting the edge of advantage was with the hosts. Even then it seemed that the most likely result would be a victory for one side or the other. Yet the numbers of overs remaining became critical as the Indians contrived somehow to get least proficient batsman on strike, slowly down the scoring rate, and the West Indians missed their opportunities in the field. The batsmen scored only a single from the last, decisive over, before the final ball, Ashwin’s single to bring the scores level, and his failure to set off quickly enough for the second run. This – one of the most exciting finishes in Test Match cricket – came only a few days after the similarly tense finish between Australia and South Africa at Johannesburg.

The main topic which we expect to cover in March 2012 is

CRIME IN THE CAPITAL