Davis: Umpiring hurt WI

Former Test batsman Bryan Davis believes that several questionable umpiring decisions affected the West Indies chances in their nine-wicket defeat against Australia in the First Test at Bourda which ended on Sunday.

He however thinks the regional cricketers will perform better at the Queen’s Park Oval this weekend in the Second Test. “I believe the team performed well in Guyana but the odd umpiring decisions affected them. The guys batted well with young Daren Ganga and Devon Smith playing well. Brian Lara also batted very well and he can really lift the batters in the team. Even before the series got off I thought the batting was good with only the bowling to worry about. We don’t have a penetrative attack to get people out and this will hurt us,” Davis said yesterday. Davis, who is top coach said the pitch at the Oval in Port-of-Spain will help the seamers and if Mervyn Dillon and Jermaine Lawson work hard they can be rewarded with wickets.

Newsday’s Sports Editor Zaid Mohammed was thrilled by the performance of fellow Trinidadian Daren Ganga. “He really proved his mettle in the second innings after getting a very difficult delivery in the first innings that kept low. As I have said before he deserves his chance to play in the Caribbean and he justified the selectors’ faith in him. “He scored a magnificent maiden century against the best team in the world and also featured in a record on his first Test appearance in the Caribbean,” Mohammed said. Ganga and Lara became the first pair of Trinidadians to score Test centuries in the same match. Mohammed also called on chairman of the WI selectors, Sir Viv Richards, to immediately reinstate Jamaican opening batsman Chris Gayle. “Gayle was unjustly omitted from the First Test team. He must be brought back and on the Oval wicket will add some variety with his off-spin. They must also hand young Carlton Baugh the gloves. Ramnaresh Sarwan is also set to return so Marlon Samuels, Wavell Hinds, who both failed badly with the bat, together with the injured Ridley Jacobs must make way,” the outspoken Newsday editor said.

On the West Indies chances at the Oval, Mohammed, who has reported from the Mecca of Caribbean cricket for the Caribbean News Agency (CANA) said: “The team is beginning to gel and would get an excellent opportunity to level the scores at the Oval. Fans can prepare for the resurrection of West indies cricket over the Easter weekend.” Cricket Board of Control executive member Patrick Rampersad agreed with Mohammed that Gayle should be brought back into the team, together with Sarwan and Baugh. “Providing that we pick the right team, the West Indies will do well against Australia at the Oval. I don’t want to call names but I think that two fast bowlers should be dropped and one brought in. They should play three pacers and a spinner. “The spinner in my opinion to bring in is Gareth Breese. In this way the batting would be strengthened and the spin department will be better off,” Rampersad said. The Australian and West Indian teams arrive today from Guyana for the Test starting on Saturday.