All-pace attack no longer potent

FORMER manager of the TT cricket team Omar Khan says he is in full agreement with the opinions of legendary West Indian cricketers’ Sir Clyde Walcott and Sir Everton Weekes, that a quality spinner must be a regular in the West Indies test team. And, Khan who is the manager of Carib Sunday League champions PowerGen, said he was totally against West Indies cricket coach Bennet King’s view that there weren’t any quality spinners in the region who can merit selection to the Windies side. “I am in total support of Sir Walcott and Sir Weekes, that the time is right for a regular spinner in the West Indies side. And I also do not agree with King’s feeling that there are no quality spinners in the region,” Khan said.

Khan said that spinner Dave “Tadpole” Mohammed (whom he manages), Nikita Miller of Jamaica and another local spinner, Amith Jaggernath were “very good spinners” who with grooming can become “quality, match-winning spinners.” “We no longer have the quality fast bowling of yesteryear and we should be looking at variety in the bowling attack. Right now as it is, I do not think we have the attack to bowl out South Africa cheaply, twice,” Khan told Newsday. He added that a specialist spinner in the squad would add variety to the attack and could prove very effective whatever the nature of the pitch. “Remember test cricket is a five day affair and even if the pitch is laid for pace, with the wear and tear over the five days, a good spinner can be a match winner.”

During a question and answer session following a book launch at UWI last Friday, Sir Walcott and Sir Weekes both said it was time for a spinner to be included in the West Indies squad especially since the current crop of fast bowlers were not as effective as bowlers from the past. “We used to produce some very great fast bowlers in the past, but at the moment, we have players who look as if they could bowl fast but they can’t,” Sir Walcott told a large audience. “We need to have a match winning spinner in the side to give us that extra edge and to support the quickies,” he added.

Commenting on the changing face of international cricket, from the time when the West Indies four-pronged pace attack terrorised batsmen, both Walcott and Weekes said every major cricketing nation had at least one competent, match-winning spinner in their arsenal. Moderator Bryan Davis also stated that the few spinners selected for test duties on the West Indies team — including Rajendra Dhanraj, Dave Mohammed and Omari Banks — were dropped after a short stint in the side. During the drawn two-day match — UWI Vice Chancellor’s XI versus South Africa — spinner Dave Mohammed returned figures of 5-115. The West Indies selectors have recalled Bajan paceman Fidel Edwards for this week’s third test against the South Africans in Barbados.