Tony Becca

When the regional Carib Beer Series got under way some three weeks ago, on January 4, Jamaica were numbered among the favourites to win both the Cup and the Challenge Trophy, plus the small and embarrassing cash prizes of US$12,500 and US$5,000, and so far, so good.

At the halfway mark, after three of the six rounds, an there is still some way to go, Jamaica, with victories over the Leeward Islands, the Combined Campuses and Colleges, and Guyana, boast a perfect 36 points and are well on the way - and especially so with Barbados, many-time champions and also numbered among the favourites at the start, losing to the Combined Campuses and Colleges, the team which, with seven Barbadians in it, is sometimes, and probably justifiably so, referred to as the other Barbados.

Weak teams

As well as Jamaica have been playing, however, it must be remembered that the Leeward Islands this year have been weak, probably weaker than they have ever been, that despite their victory over Barbados, the Combined Campuses and Colleges team is also weak, that Guyana, with so many youngsters in their team, is also as weak or probably weaker than they have ever been, and that Jamaica, with one more to come, have been blessed with playing three home matches on a stretch, and at the start of the tournament at that.

Looking at the stats, an he has played some bad shots in between some glorious ones, Wavell Hinds has been scoring well and has pulled Jamaica out of a few tight spots; Odean Brown and Nikita Miller have been taking a lot of wickets, with Miller being as defensive and as mean as a miser; in one innings Brendan Nash saved the team, and the team, to their everlasting credit, have been quite good in the field.

One-eyed man

Looking at the opposition, however, looking at the stats in general, and especially so the batting, it is, for Jamaica and captain Tamar Lambert, almost like a one-eyed man in a blind man's country.

Apart from the fact that Jamaica, on three good batting pitches, have scored only 998 runs with a top score of 286, have struggled at the start of their innings on three occasions, and are yet to score a century, in nine matches the six teams have scored a total of 6,631 runs in 32 innings, and with 273 wickets falling and 2,203.3 overs bowled, that is at an average of 24.28 runs per wicket and at three runs an over.

On top of that, and apart from the fact that only two batsmen - Ramnaresh Sarwan with 314 runs and Wavell Hinds with 252 - have scored 250 runs, that only five centuries have been scored, in 32 innings only three times have a team scored over 300 runs in an innings, only three other times have a team scored more than 250 in an innings, and with teams collapsing left, right, and centre, Barbados, against the Combined Campuses and Colleges, lost six wickets for 20 runs after cruising at 162 for three, and Combined Campuses and Colleges, on a harmless pitch at Sabina Park, lost seven wickets for eight runs in 44 minutes off 12 overs.

Poor batting quality

Left: Odean Brown ... has taken 20 wickets. Right: Wavell Hinds ... 252 runs.

With the experienced Sewnarine Chattergoon, Brian Lara, Ryan Hinds and Sarwan scoring four of only five centuries so far, the tournament, so far, has once again exposed the lack of batting quality in the West Indies, and in the interest of West Indies cricket, one can only hope that as far as batting is concerned, things will improve in the second half of the tournament, and that the many talented young batsmen which so many speak about will stand up and deliver.

What has so far been interesting, however, and hopefully the selectors are watching, and watching closely at that, is the performance of the slow bowlers in comparison to the fast bowlers.

A look at the number of wickets taken shows right-arm leg-spinner Odean Brown, left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn, and left-arm spinner Nikita Miller in front with 20, 18, and 15 wickets, respectively; a look at the averages shows Ryan Hinds, who bowls left-arm spin, and Brown on top, followed by pacer Jason Bennett and then Miller, off-spinner Anil Jaggernauth, and left-arm spinner Dave Mohammed; a look at the economy rate shows Miller, Ryan Hinds, and left-arm spinner Kavesh Kantasingh in front followed by pacer Corey Collymore and then Brown; and a look at the strike rate shows Bennett in front, followed by Brown and Jaggernauth with medium-pacer Tonito Willett and pacers Kemar Roach, Tino Best, and Jermaine Lawson behind.

Spin pitches?

Is it that the spin bowlers are so good, is it that West Indies batsmen cannot bat spin, or is it that West Indies pitches favour spin?

It could be any of the three, but one thing is sure: the spin bowlers are knocking, they have been knocking for a long time, and if, like elsewhere in the world, they are not encouraged, it will be a long time before the West Indies are numbered among the best again.

It will be a long time for two reasons - because, short of really great fast bowlers, the West Indies will need a good spinner or two to win matches, and especially so going into the last day of a Test match, and because, short of good spin bowlers, their batsmen will never ever be able to master spin bowlers, and especially so on pitches that favour spin.