West Indies need to reverse decade of decline

MIAMI, Feb 23 (Reuters) West Indies need to reverse a decade of decline if they are to repeat their triumphs at the first two World Cups and become the first full hosts to win the tournament.

The batting is experienced, with captain Brian Lara and openers Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul all proven run scorers.

But with the ball, Lara has to hope that 22-year-old paceman Jerome Taylor and 23-year-old all rounder Dwayne Bravo can turn their undoubted talent and potential into consistent match-winning displays.

The decision not to pick a specialist spin bowler and rely on batsmen Gayle and Marlon Samuels as slow-bowling alternatives to the specialist pace bowler and back-up medium-pacers is a gamble.

Although Lara has left-arm wrist spinner Dave Mohammed as a reserve he has to hope that his pacemen deliver, otherwise the attack risks being one-dimensional.

Form over the past two years suggests that the West Indies have the ability to beat anyone in the one-day game but are also capable of pressing the self-destruct button and slumping to embarrassing defeat.

After all, this is a team which was bowled out for 80 in a nine-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka in the ICC Champions Trophy in October but then four days later produced a superb victory over World Cup favourites Australia.

Inconsistency runs throughout the side and while there is no doubt about the potential of the young players available to Lara there are a number of question marks over his squad.

On the batting front, among the questions are: Will Ramnaresh Sarwan recover from his injury problems and hit form in time? Can Dwayne Smith, who has a ODI average of just 15.58, finally produce regular big knocks? Will Devon Smith at last get a one-day fifty and kick-start his international career? Are inexperienced youngsters Kieron Pollard and Lendl Simmons really ready for the challenge of World Cup cricket? While West Indies look to have a solid and reliable roster of medium and medium-quick bowlers, the biggest concern is whether their pace bowlers have the ability to rattle through the upper order of top sides.

There is much excitement surrounding Taylor and this tournament could determine whether, having put his serious back injury behind him, he really is the answer to the region's long and, so far, fruitless search for a new world class pace bowler.

Finally and importantly can wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin rediscover his form behind and in front of the stumps? With a passionate, but frustrated, home support behind them and wickets that, in theory at least, should be familiar, there is much going the West Indies way but it remains to be seen if enough of Lara's team can give positive answers to the questions that still dog them.

REUTERS AY KN1009