Aussies retain Sir Frank Worrell Trophy

The Australians led cleverly by Michal Clarke retained the Sir Frank Worrell Trophy after the Second Test against the West Indies ended in a draw at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain,Trinidad on Thursday.

The West Indies led by Darren Sammy were looking to win the Test and go in to the final Test on equal terms and force a win and win back the Trophy that has been hugged by the Australians for the past two decades.

But the Windies hopes were dashed by the rains that came down to spoil the Test. If Australia wins or loses the Third Test which is now on in Dominica, they will retain the trophy. Australia won the First Test at Barbados.

Keen follower

Being a keen follower of Australian and West Indies cricket, when the opportunity presents, we watch the action between the two counties unfolding on Ten Sports Cricket.

But it was disappointing to watch the two West Indies openers Adrian Barath and Kraigg Braithwaite batting. When compared to the former openers that the Windies had in Roy Fredricks, Cammie Smith, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes and Chrys Gayle, Barath and Braithwaite were pedestrian and seemed to be playing pat ball cricket.

Compared to the former openers, who would attempt to knock the covers off the ball from the first ball, Barath and Braithwaite are not a patch on those openers. When those openers were batting, the action was electric and spectators were enthralled

Glory days

The opener who could still unwind and bring back those glory days, left handed dasher Chrys Gayle is entertaining and enthralling spectators with his dashing and daring big hitting in the Indian Premier League.

Playing for the Royal Challengers, Gayle sent the spectators into raptures smashing eight sixes, one of which hit a female spectator who suffered a broken nose in the stands. Gayle slammed 81 in 48 deliveries. In another game against King's X1 Punjab Gayle raced to 87 in 56 balls with 8 fours and 4 sixes to help his side to victory.

However Gayle's record of 8 sixes was broken when England batsman Kevin Pietersen cracked a century which included 9 sixes and 6 fours for Delhi Daredevils against Deccan Chargers. DC Captain Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara had a poor game scoring 5 and dropping one of the three catches offered by Pietersen.

Into the stands

In dumping the ball eight times into the stands, he deposited leg-spinner Rahul Sharma five times in a row over the boundary. This is the devastating batting that the present West Indian openers are lacking at the moment. Indications are that Gayle will return soon to the West Indies team to re-energize their batting.

Also the Windies middle-order lacks batsmen such as Garfield Sobers, Rohan Kanhai, Basil Butcher Larry Gomes, Vivian Richards, Clive Lloyd, Seymour Nurse, Gus Logie Jeffey Dujong who would lay into any attack with gusto and hit it all over the field and over it as well.

Also in the new ball bowling department the Windies are missing the thunder and lightning fast bowling of their former speed guns such as Wesley Hall, Charlie Griffith, Roy Gilchrist, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall, Wayne Daniel and Keith Boyce.

Thunder and lightning

The only one keeping the thunder and lightning of fast bowling still on fire is right arm fast man Kemar Roach. In the Trinidad Test Roach became the first West Indian since 2005 to take 10 wickets in a Test.

Roach who was the Player of the match, dedicated his match haul to legendary fast bowler Malcolm Marshall. When at the end the fourth day he had picked up 8 wickets, it would have been Marshall's 54th birthday.

'Today would have been Malcolm Marshal's 54th birthday. It's a special day. I looked up to him as a bowler. I've watched a lot of clips of him and he was just such a great, great bowler. He was the best in the world at that time.

'I can't really explain it, it's a good feeling to know that I get some wickets on his birthday and it makes me feel warm as a West Indian to know I can go out there and perform for the West Indies like he did', said Roach. Sadly Marshall died of cancer in 1999.

Incidentally Marshall played in Sri Lanka when Alvin Kallicharan brought out a West Indian team and Marshall is best remembered for knocking Sri Lankan opener Sunil Wettimuny with a vicious bouncer on his head at the SSC.

Nurania Hassan passes away

It was sad to hear of the death of our former colleague and SLBC Director Nurani Hassan in an accident in Rambabwe, Anuradhapura on Thursday morning.

Nurania was a likeable character, very interested in cricket and his expert comments in Tamil during international cricket matches were very knowledgeable and well received by his listeners.

Famous commentator Premasara Epasinghe who often kept Hassan company in the Commentator's Box lamented Nurani's loss and said that he knew his cricket and his expert comments were of a high standard.

Abeynaike no more

Another former De La Salle cricketer Maximus Abeynaike who played for the school by the sea in Mutwal with distinction as a stylish right hand batsman passed away recently. At school he played in the company of Lakshman Fernando and Leslie 'Cowdrey' Fernando.

Maximus is best remembered for the sterling knock of 60 odd he made which saved the Sister Colleges from defeat against St.Benedict's College in the 'Big match' played at Kotahena in 1960.

Along with Kingsley Fernando of St.Sebastian's College, Moratuwa who scored a century, he was involved in a big partnership that saved the Sister College X1.

May his soul rest in peace.

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