Despite all that Sammy has done for West Indies cricket, unless he steps his game up in Mumbai, and on the tour of New Zealand, it’s hard to see how he can keep his place. © BCCI
Unless you’re something of a cricket geek, you may not have heard of Eldine Baptiste. He was one of the Ordinary Joes in an extraordinary West Indies team. Not ordinary like you and me, but unremarkable when compared to the legends he shared a dressing room with. During the unforgettable Blackwash summer of 1984, he certainly had his moments. He made 87 not out in the first Test at Edgbaston, and then at Lord’s – a match remembered for Gordon Greenidge and Larry Gomes cruising past a target of 342 on the final afternoon – he ran out Geoff Miller, middle stump, no less, from nearly 80 yards away.
But everyone knew what he was in the side for. He was a decent fourth seamer, someone who could hold up one end while Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding or Joel Garner took a breather. He batted at No.7, 8 or 9 that summer. For a side in transition – Andy Roberts had retired – he was a useful stopgap.
Baptiste played ten Tests in all, averaging 23.3 with the bat and picking up 16 wickets at 35.18. In the narrative of the glory years of West Indies cricket, he merits no more than cursory mention.
Nearly three decades on, someone else bats at No.7 for West Indies and averages 22 after 34 Tests. With the ball, he has taken 77 wickets at 35.12. In a formidable side, like the one Baptiste played for, the underwhelming nature of those numbers could be camouflaged. But can a side that has won only one overseas Test of note in 13 years afford to carry someone like Darren Sammy?
There’s little doubt that the West Indies captain is one of the nicest blokes playing the game. Always engaging and refreshingly honest, he is in many ways the boy living his dream. Unfortunately, in the 26 Tests in which he has led, he averages 23 with the bat and 39 with the ball. It’s hard to escape the conclusion that West Indies would be better served with another specialist batsman or wicket-taking bowler.
The situation is complicated by Sammy’s contribution off the field, where he has helped bring together a dressing room that was a joke not so long ago for its constant sniping, infighting and intrigue. Whether as court jester or as the man who squares his shoulders and takes the blame on behalf of the boys, Sammy leads a team that these days trains with more smiles than frowns.
But is that enough? If he had a captaincy record like Mike Brearley – who won 17 and lost only four of his 31 Tests as England captain – the modest numbers would not have mattered so much. Brearley averaged just 22.88 with the bat, but was little short of a genius when it came to managing mavericks such as Ian Botham.
That didn’t mean, however, that repeated personal disappointment sat well with him. In a recent interview with Australia’s Herald Sun newspaper, he suggested that the respect he gained for his leadership didn’t always compensate for batting failures.
“I suppose it’s a bit like you might be a very good teacher of English literature, but actually you really wish you’d written the novels,†he said.
There aren’t a plethora of allround options to replace Sammy at the moment. Dwayne Bravo, with his past injury problems, hasn’t played a Test in nearly three years. Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell seem to be viewed as short-form specialists.
But none of that changes the fact that West Indies need more middle-order steel and more bowling potency. Unless Sammy can up his game in Mumbai and on the tour of New Zealand, it’s hard to see how he can keep his place. Currently, with Denesh Ramdin – he of the-note-to-Viv fame – at No.6 and Sammy at No.7, there’s as much balance as a toddler on a tricycle missing a wheel.
Camaraderie and unity are essential, but beyond a point, teams, especially losing ones, cannot compromise on quality. If Sammy cannot summon up performances good enough to hold down a place as a third seamer or a specialist batsman, he has to make way for someone who has at least one proper string to his bow.
Over a year ago, when Andrew Strauss resigned as England captain, Michael Holding – Wisden India columnist and one of Baptiste’s teammates on that 1984 tour – had this to say: “What convinced Strauss to retire was that he didn’t want people questioning his place in the team. Even if he was a good captain, he didn’t want to be in the team if he didn’t perform. It would be great if the West Indies captain thought likewise.â€
Touché.
Dileep Premachandran is Editor-in-chief at Wisden India.
