Filed under: Uncategorized
This post was initially going to be an analysis prior to the Pakistan game, however I thought better of it as my hunch seemed to know that the West Idiot team would turn up in Mirpur as opposed to the West Indies team.
A crushing ten wicket win for the Islamic nation with 175 balls remaining this morning confirmed my instincts were correct.
Were I a betting man, I’d be eating an extravagant meal today. Then again, who was going to bet for us?
All over Cricinfo, there was talk about a Pakistan-India semifinal but not much banter or even a whisper of the West Indies beating the other team in World cricket with a Jekyll-Hyde complex.
Why, because we’ve generally been more abysmal than sublime over the past two years.
Still, the West Indies both matched, exceeded and belied expectations in this World Cup.
Impressive stuff really, depending on how you look at it.
At the start of the World Cup, many expected Bangladesh, who temporarily held a higher ODI ranking, to pip us to quarterfinal particularly as we were expected to struggle against teams like Ireland and Netherlands, while providing easy points to England, India and South Africa.
We seemed to be going true to form after our opening surrender to the Proteas and ready to return home early.
Instead, the West Indies became the most rambunctious visitors to Bangladesh in a match that didn’t last as long as a 20/20 game. Ireland and Netherlands were seen off with relative ease and the West Indies suddenly found themselves in the position to win, yes we said WIN group A even if we wound up equal on points with RSA.
Then we capitulated.
We should have won group A, most other test playing teams who found ourselves in those positions against England and India would have won those games.
We would be playing New Zealand on Friday instead of heading home now.
Why didn’t we?
Analysis of West Indies Cricket isn’t simple, but some obvious questions have to be asked of the selectors and of the captain Darren Sammy.
Many people blame our loss to England on our batting, but with England at 151 for 6, Sammy took the ball out the hands of a threatening Russell and instead of looking to Roach and Bishoo to wrap up the tail, he tossed it to Pollard, kept on an ineffective Suleman Benn on, then later bowled himself.
That “lethal” bowling triumvir at that staged managed to let Luke Wright look like an elite international quality player, who dragged his team back with what was essentially a match winning 44.
Andre Russell, who was widely considered the almost hero of that day, on more than one occasion bowled overs with the first 5 balls going for dot balls. The sixth ball was then an unnecessary bouncer or effort ball which went for a wide, sometimes five of them. The extra ball generally cost the Windies more runs. How much did we lose by? 18 huh?
How much runs did Russell give away?
Here’s a hint: his 4 for 49 could have very easily been 4- 30.
On to India, once again after seeing Ravi Rampaul (who isn’t the quickest seamer in our squad) get generous lift and carry which dismissed Sachin Tendulkar and hassled Gautam Gambir, our captain, thinking on his feet went with the tried and tested Suleman Benn to partner the Trinidadian with the new ball.
Kohli, Gambir briefly and then Yuvraj Singh (along with every other team in the competition except Bangladesh and the Netherlands) then weighed and measured Benn and found him wanting. Good job skipper
Combine that with his otherwise predictable, otherwise unenterprising captaincy apart from his “wisdom” to change the batting order against England which worked so superbly, Sammy too had been found lacking as skipper. I don’t even want to ask why Russell was the man left out against Pakistan.
If Sammy is to continue to be the West Indies captain I suggest someone get him this:
- Maybe the entire team needs this
According to the Pakistanis and other fans on Cricinfo, he probably shouldn’t even be a sure starter for the team. I tend to agree with them, but I digress, back to the India game.
India then set a platform for a massive score but smart work by Pollard and Rampaul hauled them back allowing us to chase a very reachable score.
But our batting crumbled.
Here’s where our selectors have earned their right to be put to the sword.
Coming into the World Cup, our batting was expected to be our strong suit and with the initial squad it was. Adrian Barath, Carlton Baugh and Dwayne Bravo would have added a totally different dynamic, and in the case of Baugh and Bravo much-needed experience, to our line up.
The replacements called; Kirk Edwards, the “highly” rated Devon Thomas and Devendra Bishoo were all unknown and untested at international level, much less in subcontinent conditions.
Edwards had little opportunity to be judged, but could we have ever looked to him to lead the batting? Bishoo, by way of Marlon Samuels’ decision to stay away, made a bright impression and added much-needed variation to the bowling.
And then there’s Thomas.
7 matches, 6 innings, no not outs, highest score 15. Total runs scored in the World Cup: 41.
Now for all those with short memories, Thomas was selected ahead of some guy named Denesh Ramdin ( who is still widely considered the best wicket keeper in the Caribbean ) because the Ramdin guy wasn’t doing as well with the bat as he should.
This Ramdin guy, with his 81 ODIs, would have been the fourth most experienced player in the squad after Gayle, Chanderpaul and Sarwan had he been called.
That Ramdin guy has also played match winning innings against international opposition in subcontinent conditions. Heck, some would say he bats best in pressure situations which need thought and application. Not that the WI found themselves in such positions recently.
What’s that you say? We have? In pretty much every game we lost in this tournament? You don’t say.
But Thomas, a specialist wicket keeper, did a solid job behind the stumps. Kudos for that. But if what the WICB told the public about Ramdin is correct, which I’m not saying isn’t so, then Thomas (who Cricinfo informs me has regional ODI best of 35) was supposed to be a live wire in front of those sticks in the ground as well.
Instead, with him playing we were a batsman short in every game.
It’s not like we already had such an experienced batting line-up to begin with.
It’s sad when Devon Smith, who I still don’t think belongs in the one day team, is your most consistent batsman. Sammy himself hasn’t often been memorable with the bat in his career.
And it doesn’t help when your most experienced players (Sarwan, Chanderpaul) have all been obviously struggling for form for quite a while and all of a sudden the have to play out of their skins to save/protect a fragile batting team.
It doesn’t make it any easier for them, hell it probably cost Sarwan his composure as he actually WAS in form going into the tournament.
On the bright side, our bowling did well. Don’t be fooled by the Pakistan game.
In group A, South Africa bowled out all of their opponents.
The only opponent West Indies didn’t bowl out in Group A was South Africa.
Going into the match today West Indies and Pakistan had taken the same amount of wickets at 53.
Unexpected? Surely, but with no experience and balance how far could we have really gone?
Disappointing?
Why?
This is what modern West Indies, I mean Idiot cricket is all about.
Finding ways to lose.
The mammoth season which was Carnival 2011 is finally well and truly over, and while there is great sadness that dwells in my heart about its departure, I think some analysis is in order.
This Carnival, as it has been rhymed with so many times before, was quite a bit of bacchanal.
This year’s ingredients, with an extra touch of bitter, included a return of the Savannah stage as well as Machel Montano and Destra Garcia (both to local fetes and Soca Monarch) and $2 million cash prizes to every major cultural tenet of the season except mas, much to the justified chagrin of Brian MacFarlane.
But much like MacFarlane’s oh so thoroughly unexpected Band of the Year triumph, there wasn’t much that happened this Carnival that was truly shocking or unexpected.
I feel your pain though Brian, it just didn’t seem like Aunty Kamla felt like giving you $2 million dollars this year. Particularly since, of the winning row, only Karene Asche (congratulations to her) and Trinidad All Stars probably makes less than you during a Carnival season.
Maybe she’ll sign your cheque sometime in May to commemorate/ensure your sixth consecutive win next year.
As much as I argued that Machel Montano would have no cake walk to the Soca Monarch crown (which he didn’t), at no point did I truly believe he was not going to be the Soca Monarch of 2011.
Nor was I particularly surprised Rikki Jai earned $2 million in the Chutney arena, or that Machel won Road March ( which most of Trinidad called on January 28 when ‘Advantage’ hit airwaves).
Is it even about competitions anymore?
Or should it be about competitions?
The drama that was Soca Monarch was very ugly, for next to no reason. The line between picong or mudslinging (or straight temporary insanity in Destra’s case) wasn’t very easy to decipher. In the end, all the competition did was open wounds and add further proof to my previous argument that Machel isn’t as peerless on stage as his legions want to believe.
In case the results (which I won’t dispute, see my reasons below) fooled you, HD was comprehensively beaten by Iwer George (and possibly edged by Ian Alvarez) on Carnival Friday. William Munro basically said as much in his very prudent interview in last Thursday’s Express.
To the Machel fans who have been quick to argue the Taipan better addressed the judging criteria (of which most aren’t even certain what those criteria are), welcome to the land of denial.
But I begrudge Machel not, nor am I angry at the results. Machel did what he had to and he won the competition which he so desired.
And his “chummy” relationship with the Partnership here is a moot point.
Iwer fans I cry shame on you though, for your short memories. Soca Monarch has long been a competition where it’s about who they want to give it to, dating back to the days of Superblue’s pomp.
Iwer himself benefitted when he should have lost years ago in 2003, so too has Bunji Garlin and to a lesser extent Fay Ann Lyons.
Don’t you remember why Destra, KMC and Maximus among others left the competition years ago?
So my question knowing this, does this competition really even matter?
Or any of them?
Maybe Panorama and Calypso Monarch remain integral (especially with YOUNGER winners of late in the latter competition), but the bitterness which lingers around artistes after the competitions can’t be healthy.
The Road March race is becoming more and more farcical, as it encourages a formulaic musical arrangement with little or no musical longevity coupled with a favour from the powers that be.
If anything Iwer’s loss in the Road March race this year, underlines how much it isn’t about what the people necessarily want.
The Band of Year competition doesn’t really exist, as only Trini Revellers actually tries to compete against MacFarlane.
MacFarlane is getting wary of this and is strongly considering pulling another trick from the Minshall playbook by bringing out a band that abandons the route altogether and presenting somewhere other than the Savannah stage. (See M2K).
But the government, and our beloved Minister of Multiculturalism, would need to shoulder some blame should this competition lose its backbone. If anything needed inspiration it was the band-leaders not attached Tribe or Island People or similar entities.
The $2 million for mas, might have done the trick of tilting the balance between sequined or feathered bikinis and actually visionary mas making.
At least I think so.
Filed under: Music/Entertainment
There probably has not been a Fantastic Friday as anticipated as today’s. It’s beyond the talk of the town, it’s been the talk of the season.
And it’s all been because of the “return” of one man: Machel Montano.
What fueled his return is subject to speculation (politics, bad mind, etc), but there is no question the competition is infinitely richer by his participation.
The delirium that followed his announcement on the Red Hot Morning show that he would compete for the crown, however has a lot more to do with his iconic status than the heightened level of competition.
The intensity of the battle as well the increased incentive of $2 million has just sweetened the pot even more.
For many years, even during the days of Superblue’s domination of the tournament in the 90s, many wondered what would have happened had Machel Montano had indeed competed.
Machel last took part in competition as a solo competitor in 1996, one year before he blossomed into the mega-star of Soca.
So now that what if, has become what will happen.
The question was not sufficiently answered even when he did appear, albeit as a guest supporting act, with Destra in 2003.
His mere presence leveled the crowd then and it indeed stands as one of the best Soca Monarch moments. Notably that performance didn’t earn the young Destra the title, but just 3rd place and Machel heads generally don’t acknowledge it as a full blooded Machel effort.
That year, in my opinion, was the last truly great Soca Monarch final. For it was after that many of the other major players of Soca (namely KMC, Maximus Dan and the aforementioned Destra) left the competition, dejected at the politics surrounding the results.
His announcement, which rendered the return of Destra Garcia to the show a mere foot note,(which unfortunately has left the Soca diva with another chip on her shoulder that she hasn’t handled well, at all) also served a major call-out to the other prime acts of the genre.
To which, three have responded extremely well: Iwer George and Alvarez couple.
The jabs thrown have been almost savage but astute at the same time, wetting our appetites and stirring the fire.
Finally on the Fantastic Friday stage, the first time in a while, we have a true battle.
To add even more intrigue, the most powerful man of Soca has possibly come to the fight at his weakest making the viewing even more palpable.
So who’s going home with $2 million? Here’s what I think of the main competitors’ chances.
POWER SOCA
Machel Montano
The strong favourite
His plan to Advantage his way to the crown is not clear-cut as the song, almost a certain road march, isn’t the strongest song for the Soca Monarch crown.
But that isn’t a problem really, particularly since Soca Monarch is more about performance than anything else. The Boy by far the best performer in the competition and an all out HD performance could see him through.
However, after seeing Machel a couple times this season, his show hasn’t been as impressive as years past. Of late his voice has been deserting him as well, leaving HD looking slightly standard definition going into the event.
Knowing Machel though, he’ll have something outrageous in his stage show to tilt the balance his way.
I can’t see him not being in the top 2.
Bunji Garlin
They get so caught up with the debating, but 'Hold A Burn' has first class rating
The ‘Girls Dem Darling’ possibly has the worst stage presence of the major players in this monarch, but he is a savvy Soca Monarch competitor who uses his strengths and his imagination well.
Bunji uses stage theatrics almost as good as Machel and his own stage freestyling is a major equaliser despite having the least animated song of the big four.
Bunji has also raised his level post announcement, with his lyrical barbs on stage starting to resemble the sharpness he held at his apex half a decade ago.
Of the favourites I believe he will spring the most surprises.
Fay Ann Lyons Alvarez
If Fay Ann doesn't step her performance up, consider her done
Although her song is naturally destructive, Fay Ann has long been guilty of coasting through her performances. Her husband may push her this year, and climbing the speaker boxes was a good touch in the semis, but she’ll need to invoke the full spirit of her father to have a shot of grabbing this.
She could very easily slip out of the top 4.
Iwer George
The Boss has the best song of the top four, yes seriously
If ever there were someone to take the wind out of Machel’s sails, it’s been this guy. Song for song, Iwer should win this competition. ‘Come to Meh’ may go down as one of his greatest songs, ever.
The best song doesn’t alway win though as Destra and KMC know all too well. It’s all about who’s gets the judge’s nod with their performance.
Iwer is a simple, yet solid performer who’s probably the only other soca artiste capable of leveling an event as much as Mr. HD. With much less effort and props at that.
A veteran performer, Iwer knows quite a few tricks to sway the crowd but he isn’t known to embellish his stage show, which might be his undoing.
I’d still say it’s his monarch to lose.
The people you should be paying more attention to
Shal Marshall
Don’t Drag the Flag won’t win, but it could get into the top 3 if the most consistent Dj turned Soca star plays his cards right.
Michelle Xavier
The Imij & Co front-liner has one of the better songs of the season, unfortunately she doesn’t command enough attention among the masses. Had this song been sung by Destra, it would likely be a contender.
Destra
Destra doesn’t have much say in the Power category, but she’ll likely do something outlandish, hopefully it’s something positive.
Groovy Soca
While most have their eyes on the dogfight going on in the Power category, the groovy competition is a lot tighter than most realise. It might be tighter than power actually.
The Favourites
Kees
Wotless is the song of the season, but has Kees evolved into a dynamic enough performer to bring in the ship? I have my doubts.
Benjai
I’ve heard people say ‘Trini’ is out too long the win the title, not true. Benjai’s a fairly charismatic performer and now that he’s both the Young King and a Calypso Monarch finalist, it’s somewhat obvious the judges like him. That might be hard to beat.
Cassi
He isn’t a great performer, but his song is definitely up there. Should he press the wrinkles in his performance and Cassi might sneak in there.
Allrounder
It’s the surprise hit of the season. Why can’t he pull it off? I think the judges may take a liking to Allrounder but I’d genuinely be surprised if he did take it.
Who we should be paying more attention to:
Shurwayne Winchester
He hasn’t been anywhere this year, but his song is quality and he knows how to put on a good show. Shurwayne is very hard to beat at the Groovy Monarch.
Destra Garcia
‘Cool It Down’ is a great song and Destra still possesses the most powerful singing voice among active soca artistes. Perhaps it’s her own fault the song hasn’t gotten as much love as it should but she can very easily win this title with a well executed set.
Blaxx
If Blaxx does ‘Carnival Jumbie’ and performs well ( something he generally fails to do ), he might just hit the judges.
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Who’s got the answers according to the judges? Will it be a political controversial scene?
Will Machel succeed?
We’ll find out sometime Saturday morning.
Plain Talk, Good English 