ARE WINDIES PLAYERS LACKING MENTAL SKILLS?

Someone suggested to me a while back that the reason why the West Indies currently do relatively well at T20 cricket is that by comparison to One Day Internationals and Test cricket, it requires little thought. T20 cricket, the person suggested, is a 120-ball slog that requires little mental engagement. And while admitting that the format has helped enhance scoring rates in the longer versions, T20, he said, is more about the physical than mental.

When he first said it I was a bit offended because he was clearly suggesting that the current crop of West Indies players are incapable of thinking on their feet and totally dependent on their physical skills. In other words the team was like the Incredible Hulk, they are able to smash you but they will never be able to out-think you.

Having been made aware of that thinking, it forced me to pay closer attention to the regional team when it played teams like Australia, England, South Africa and what I saw suggests that my friend could be right. Of course, it would be foolhardy to suggest that I can arrive at a definitive conclusion on just observation alone but the perception usually speaks more loudly than the truth and the perception is that my friend is right.

With a few exceptions, West Indies bowlers and batsmen alike, do not seem capable of making adjustments in the heat of battle. We have watched time and time again, bowlers bowling deliveries that amounts to stoning the opponents’ bats. And as their newly minted ODI captain Jason Holder said after the team’s latest embarrassing display against South Africa in the ODI in East London on Wednesday, the batsmen keep getting out the same way time and time again.

There are batsmen in the team that are guaranteed to stand firmly planted inside the crease and slash at a ball outside their off stumps, invariably nicking one behind or to the slips. Or, walking too far across their stumps and being dismissed leg before or pushing the front pad too far down the pitch and then trying play across the line in front of the pad, missing and being plumb leg before. We have seen it time and time again. The bowlers don’t even try to bat. This, in an age when we see the Australian, Indian and South African tails wag vigorously more often than not.

The only batsman in the team that averages over 50 in Test cricket is Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who over the years has made many adjustments that have worked wonderfully for him. He may look awkward at the crease but he is among the very few who seem capable of knowing what to do against certain types of bowling, and how to get runs by being patient. It is perhaps why he is less than 200 runs away from overtaking Brian Lara as the most prolific West Indian batsman ever.

The Guyanese “Tiger” is very much like Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakara, Australia’s Michael Clarke, and the awesome pair of AB deVilliers and Hashim Amla from South Africa, who have made slight alterations to their respective games and are among the top three batsmen in the world.

I am not going to malign the players for wanting to earn as much money as they can before their careers are over. That is what professional sportsmen and women do. However, there is more to being a professional than just earning money. There has to come a point when pride shows its head in the mix. Courage too as well as application.

Yes, the players might hate the board and blame the board for their collective misfortune but at the end of the day, they are the ones who are out there on the pitch not just representing their region but themselves. The ‘elite’ West Indies players have been afforded the opportunity to work with some of the best coaches across the world in the respective T20 leagues, they also play on good and bad pitches. They play on fast pitches in Australia and South Africa and on pitches of varying types in the IPL in India where a number of them them earning a good living. So what’s their excuse for the constant failure when it comes to playing for the West Indies?

Maybe my friend was right. Maybe it requires too much thought for many members of the team to play for more than three hours at a time. If that is the case it certainly would explain why ODIs and Test cricket are proving to be too much to handle as one form requires them to be engaged mentally three times as long on a daily basis, while the other format is two and a half times as long.

The perception might be light years from the truth but for now the perception is certainly holding sway.

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18 Responses to “ARE WINDIES PLAYERS LACKING MENTAL SKILLS?”

Dorothy Hobson says:

January 23, 2015 at 5:06 pm

The West Indies Team has consistently failed to perform well because it is just not good enough.
Our players lack the technical competence to compete with other accomplished cricketers. The bowling is weak and the batting in most cases below par; and it does not matter which form of the game or who plays. Statistics will confirm.
They do well in the T20 format because here it is more luck than skill.
Advice to the WICB and the selectors — wipe the slate clean and start fresh. The situaion cannot get any worse.
Ken Sangster says:

January 23, 2015 at 6:20 pm

Looking at the body language of most of the West Indian players shows that they lack any pride in themselves . You can see from the swagger that once their weaknesses are exposed, they are simply mentally lost. What’s the answer, stop treating these second rate players as superstars when they return to their respective Island, because that is the only place they are known.
Defender says:

January 24, 2015 at 10:10 pm

Cricket is a dying game in the region, because Windies cricket has been in a coma ever since the team captained by Viv Richards stepped down. No need for any sophisticated psycho-analysis of current players.
Frankie says:

January 26, 2015 at 11:39 am

The players are no damn good. All they quarrell about is money and more money while performing way below average.
rudy says:

January 27, 2015 at 2:55 am

The team on a whole lacks commitment. I am tired of hearing it is the boards fault. The board is not on the field. Just looking at the team after they won the match it was very clear that Gayle was not a part of the celebrations. Even Samuels who tends to do things his own way was on the field celebrating.
I think that some of the players need to b e dropped and we rebuild a team with new spirit.as some only play well in the IPL but show no commitment to the West Indies
Blair Boyd says:

January 27, 2015 at 10:52 am

Rudy it look like you are apart of the board ,or you agree,with what the board is doing towards the players.Stop talking about commitment towards these players now,we only heard about those arguement as of late.Those former players never have no commitment,when they resigned from the wi ,and went to Kerry Paker for more money, so how you don’t hear nobody talking about them,so the whole thing is a double standard .
rudy says:

January 30, 2015 at 8:45 am

Blair I don’t understand what you are saying. The point I am making is that the players have no commitment to the team. I am tired of hearing that it is the boards fault. I have been watching test cricket from 1965 and have been hearing this complaint about the board. But those older players delivered despite all the obstacles they faced and the poor remuneration. When will we hold the players accountable. The Siri Lankan team went one whole year without salary (and that is terrible) and still played with heart, that is what I am saying
rudy says:

January 30, 2015 at 8:51 am

If players don’t deliver in the IPL they are dropped see the last list of players not retained. Note there are some big named players there.
We don’t need cry babies who are over paid and under producers. There is talk of professionalism, but in other sports like English Premier league players don’t willy nilly walk off because of a dispute.
We just have to look at how the retired Sir Alex managed Manchester United
Observer says:

January 30, 2015 at 6:20 pm

How can you commit to a West Indies when no such thing really exists. Yes there is a WICB that answers no one, not even Caricom. Times have changed, move on people, check the blogs, not even the fans can agree on anything except their selfish island interests- hope you get my drift and its not sensimilia..
Blair Boyd says:

January 31, 2015 at 7:02 pm

Rudy how you overstand what a my saying,are you lacking comprehesion are what.Am in my 60s so don’t tell me that you watching test cricket from 1965 ,that does not have no bearings on what am saying .In the 1965 under Sober the wi was Enland,Australia beaten stick,the wi only come good Rudy 1976 under Clive Lloyd when he took over Captaincy from Kahnia.So don’t run off your mouth like wi was any good by , in 1975 the wi got 5/1 from Australia under Lloyd .They only come good in 1976 against England over there when they gave them 5/1 ,that was the bigging of the wi.You are one them old time people want the players to work for nothing ,those days are over my friend .Sri Lanka players can play for nothing not the wi players,is you is going to take care of the players family.you are a joker you ,and your friends .
Defender says:

January 31, 2015 at 11:37 pm

The only consistent thing about these jokers masquerading as cricketers is their inconsistency. Additionally, they all must be reading from the same script with all of the pre-game talk about “grabbing this opportunity with both hands, and blah, blah, blah”. Not even the opportunity they can catch, let alone a cricket ball.

They have no ability to concentrate for long periods; their shot selection beggars description; and, their fielding is as haphazard as their bowling. In short, they are a disgrace to the rich history that is Windies cricket prior to 1995!
dallo says:

February 1, 2015 at 3:48 pm

@blair, I see you still talking that nonsense about Australia and England beating the west indies in the 60′s. you know nothing about 60′s cricket and if I knew you I’ld make you pay. lol.
rudy says:

February 2, 2015 at 12:32 am

Blair you just don’t get the point. We have to at sometime hold the players responsible and stop making excuses for them. The current crop of players are ten time better paid than those in the past and yet lack the passion for the game. When I referred to the 60 s all I was saying is that we played with heart even when there was no money. For your information
1965 we beat Australia 2-1
1966 we beat England 3-1 and even though we had weak series 69-71 we did not lose that badly except for Australia 1975-6 where we lost 5-1.
From that time until now we all had problems with the administration but the players delivered. What is so hard for you to understand about that
rudy says:

February 2, 2015 at 12:34 am

I want the players to be well paid and I will fight for that. But I need them to be committed and not operate like cry babies
Las Latty says:

February 6, 2015 at 4:06 am

Here’s an interesting solution. Drop out of Test cricket for 2 years (unless you can make money loosing all the time). Go to the CCC campus (UWI Barbados) and select a team of young players that have some intelligence. Choose Jimmy Adams as the coach, bring back Brendon Nash to provide the glue in the middle when Shiv is gone. Please, please please, appoint Joel Garner as the head of the WIBC. Start afresh…with a new attitude.
Observer says:

February 6, 2015 at 6:45 pm

Are the WICB directors lacking mental skills? If mental preparation is a key factor in players success then recent destruction of teams by questionable selection decisions… like rebuilding on the eve of a tournament… is no encouragement to motivate players to give their all, after all, if the administration can find it ok to screw up the team on the eve of competition, why should the players give their all. what type of mental preparation is this? This was Gayle’s point. RIP WICB.
Blair Boyd says:

February 10, 2015 at 3:09 pm

Rudy you are only talking from emotion rather facts you,and y.our friends them .you said I don’t understand how you arrived at that,did I tell you so,you are jumping to your own conclusion into a very ignorant way.The whole senario here is pure ego is flying around,the old folks have a little mental problem with every thing.Either their way or you hit the highway,that’s their policy they are trying to force on these youngters .It can’t work like into todays world,the whole thing now a days is money.People play games to make money,we work and. hardly get no pay .So Rudy watch one you would you prefer,play or work,I would take play.Wi was dam gof befote Lloyd to over,am old enough to know about from 1962 to now 2015 so please don’t under estemate me.I played for my school,club also Bauxite competition,leauge cricket,bowl ,opening ,Captain for 10 long years.So my friend I been around a long time, watch Sober,Butcher,Hunte,Hall,Nurse,Griffiths,Gibbs ,Cowdry,Tom Graevney,Basil Dallivero ,John Snow ,Derrick Underwood, just to mention a few players.I saw them at Sabina Park my friend or listening to Roy Lawrence ,John Harlot .
Jerry Storie says:

February 16, 2015 at 8:18 am

Don’t you worry…it may not be 1975 – but even England was stung by the Irish not too long ago!