Lehman, Aussie media give Windies plaudits despite defeat

MELBOURNE, Australia, CMC – Embattled West Indies have come in for high praise from several unexpected quarters, following their fightback against Australia in the just-concluded Test match.

The Caribbean side lost the game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground by 177 runs inside four days but showed significant improvement, as their batsmen turned in gutsy displays in both innings despite the defeat.

Australia coach Darren Lehmann, as well as several highly-regarded members of the media, applauded the young Windies team for the way they rebounded especially following the nightmare in the Hobart first Test which ended in three days with an innings and 212-run loss.

“I was really pleased the way they fought back … after being six for 90 on day two and then obviously batting really well on day three,” said Lehman, a former Test cricketer.

“I thought they played really well and that’s what they’re gonna need to do going forward to improve as a side, they know that now… Back end they took the game to us.”

Malcolm Knox, an author and writer for the Melbourne Age and Sydney Morning Herald, noted that the Windies had salvaged some pride and should be respected for the MCG effort.

“The West Indies had not really made Australia work in Hobart, but they did here. The difference between the teams on the scoreboard is still great, but some baby steps were taken,” Knox wrote.

“In four years’ time, (Rajendra) Chandrika, Kraigg Brathwaite, (Darren) Bravo, (Jermaine) Blackwood and (Jason) Holder can make a serious batting order. Let’s hope the cricket world gives those babies a chance to grow up.”

Cate McGregor, writing in The Australian, suggested it was “Test cricket stripped of artifice and gimmickry. It was a contest of grinding attrition. The visitors secured some pride but not nearly enough runs. In light of their capitulation in Hobart, nearly forcing the match into the fifth day constitutes a miracle rather than an improvement.”

Greg Baum, the chief sport writer for The Age, wrote of respect earned and the growing stature of West Indies captain Holder.

“The shortest shift any batsman put in was 45 minutes. The longest was not quite three hours. What they needed and lacked was someone to pull an all-nighter,” Baum wrote.

“The lanky Holder almost got there. He is becoming to the West Indies what Allan Border once was to Australia when the boot was on the other foot, a one-man hold-out, often beaten, never bowed.

He continued: “This was the West Indies as we have not seen them this summer, full of resolve and pride. Not that it was all trenches and tin hats. Modern cricket never will be. Twice, Holder hoisted Nathan Lyon into stands, with blows that flowed like the Mississippi.

“Ramdin also hit hard. Rajendra Chandrika tried to achieve with sharply run singles what he could not do in boundaries [to] keep the Australians at a distance.”

West Indies face Australia in the final Test in Sydney starting Sunday.