The Brink - Part III | Cricket articles, news, cartoons, statistics

The Brink - Part III

Contributed by Subash Jayaraman

(For Parts I and II of this series, click here and here respectively)

“You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's the signpost up ahead — your next stop…..”

Begging credulity regarding the similarities of the Sabina ’99 Test and the current battle at Adelaide, another West Indian captain finds himself cornered into creating one of his greatest confections…again against Australia!. The mirror circumstances of a Windies team coming off an humiliating loss, a string of ugly public criticisms by both camps and then the skipper’s career defining ton is indeed one for the books.

Those who recall the first edition of this saga shall note a wiry spinner (Mr. Perry) ultimately catapaulted the Windies to an unlikely victory. Can the second edition feature such a spooky close? With conditions indeed tailor-made for Mr. Benn to wreak havoc, reason has provided a poor weather forecast set to perhaps abruptly end this Twilight Zone Test.

Punxsutawney Phil

Or does Harlold Ramis, the writer/director of the classic comedy ‘Groundhog Day’, have a say in this? Why would such a circumstance recur with virtually identical contexts?

Then, the desperate anger was fuelled by a Caribbean public, and WICB, annoyed at a team and captain not competing to the best of their potential, today those concerns seem quaint. The pure coincidence factor aside, such pointers as (again) group lack of pride and professionalism, lack of match-fitness and quite simply, the lack of player and match analyses clearly remain un-addressed and I fear, barring the genuine leadership required to make galvanic change at the board and player level, 2019 shall once again have our then-captain playing each ball with saucepan-wide eyes and grim countenance - perhaps with a reggaefied ‘I Got You Babe’ wafting through the speakers at the break.*

Into the breach

Now back to the aptly titled Test match: The tide runs with the West Indies at this juncture. However, who blinks first shall perish. Writing at the end of the fourth day's play, 50 more West Indian runs shall secure one possible result. The introduction of our wiry spinner within the first half-hour of the Aussie inning should secure the other.

*- See the movie, get the reference :)

(Click here to know more about Jonathan)

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The Brink - Part III

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