History's lesson for Windies (19 May 1999)

19 May 1999

History's lesson for Windies

Tony Cozier in Bristol

There are any number of good reasons why the West Indies journey across the Irish Sea to Dublin today for their second match in the World Cup with a degree of caution.

The location and the unpretentious reputation of their opponents, Bangladesh, should both ring alarm bells.

One of the two most humbling defeats in West Indies cricket history was in Ireland and the other in the last World Cup to a team whose status was just as modest as Bangladesh's.

On one of the rare occasions that an official West Indies team played in Ireland, as a supposedly leisurely diversion from their Test tour of England in 1969, they were routed for 25 all out by the home team on a simple club ground in the small town of Sion Mills.

The story has become part of the game's folklore, embellished by claims that a lethal Irish combination of leprechauns and Guinness was as much responsible as devilish bowling.

The causes of the devastating loss in the Indian city of Pane in the 1996 tournament to the amateurs of Kenya, on their first appearance in the World Cup, were more straightforward.

Complacency and disunity that soon led to the resignation of captain Richie Richardson and the dismissal of coach Andy Roberts led to the ignominy of an all-out 93 (including 17 extras) and defeat by 73 runs.

The current manager, Clive Lloyd, was a member of the 1969 team; no fewer than seven of those in this squad were involved in the debacle in Pune.

"Whenever I meet an Irishman that 1969 match seems to come up and, of course, that Kenya upset keeps cropping up time and again this time," Lloyd said yesterday.

"That's not a bad thing as it keeps everyone aware of what can happen if you let your guard down."

His old team-mate, Gordon Greenidge, has let Lloyd and the West Indies know they can expect no favours from the Bangladesh team he has coached for the past two years.

They were comfortably beaten in their opening match on Monday by New Zealand but Greenidge has warned that they played below their standard and that they won't fear the West Indies.

"As far as I can see, the West Indies bowling banks too much on Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh and their batting on Brian Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul," Greenidge said yesterday.

"You can put pressure on them if they don't come off and, if we get the chance, our guys will certainly be putting pressure on them.

"Even before we start, the pressure is on them," Greenidge added. "We start equal on points and they know they must win to get through. We just want to play to the best of our ability."

Before the tournament, both Greenidge and manager Tanveer Muzhar Islam stated they did not expect Bangladesh to beat any of their established opponents.

Given their performance against New Zealand, it was a realistic assessment - but Kenya might have said much the same thing the last time.

Bangladesh and Scotland are the two non-Test teams in the West Indies' group. Both qualified for their first World Cups though the ICC Trophy tournament for associate countries in Kuala Lumpur in 1997.

"The way the tournament is structured, you just can't afford to slip up against either of them," Lloyd said.

"The last time, we went through to the last eight even after losing to Kenya but we would almost certainly be out if we don't beat Bangladesh and Scotland here."

The West Indies lost their opening match to Pakistan here on Sunday, increasing the pressure on them to advance to the next round, the Super Sixes.

The three top teams in each group go through, carrying with them only the points they earned from the other two qualifiers.

After Bangladesh, the West Indies face New Zealand in Southampton next Monday in what is likely to be the decisive match, Scotland in Leicester tomorrow week (May 27) and Australia in Manchester Sunday week (May 30).

The West Indies' final practice at their base here was forced indoors on a chilly, damp day yesterday. They will hope for an improvement in the weather once they arrive in Ireland for more than one reason.

If the match cannot be completed over the two days set aside for it, they will have to share the two points. They need both.

Lloyd said Keith Arthurton, who sprained his left ankle in the field in Sunday's opener, would not play in Dublin. But, he added, he was walking a lot easier and was likely to be fit enough for the New Zealand match.

"We've got to look at boosting our bowling, especially with Keith out,'' he added.

"The white ball does seem to be moving around quite a bit in the kind of weather we've been having and we'll probably look at including another seamer.''

They will also be looking to exclude any Irish gremlins.

Source :: The Barbados Nation