 | Bell needs to be dropped if nothing else than finally to show that established batsmen's places are not fireproof |
As far as sudden and unexpected humiliations go, this one ranks right up there with the best. Jerome Taylor bowled beautifully for West Indies in conditions that offered him nothing, but England's tentative batting was the reason for their shocking defeat. We have often seen teams falter batting third, and under pressure to make the game safe. England knew that because of a 74-run first innings deficit, they would have to bat at least until lunch on the final day to avoid defeat and it was that, combined with Taylor's explosive burst, that caused the chaotic collapse, and seriously threatened their lowest-ever score in Test cricket. The dismissals of Alastair Cook and Ian Bell were particularly weak. Cook chased a wide ball he should not have played at, while Bell's attempted, and unnecessary, forcing stroke at Sulieman Benn in the last over before lunch might well cost him his Test place. That verdict is not based purely on that single shot, but because Bell has not been a success at number three where, in the last four Tests, the most runs he has scored in both innings of a match added together is 32. I am not convinced that Owais Shah is ideal for number three either - I still hold out a fading hope that Michael Vaughan might return there in the summer - but Bell needs to be dropped if nothing else than finally to show that established batsmen's places are not fireproof. As we know, once panic sets in anything can happen and by the time Matt Prior played all over a straight ball, the game was up. Spin bowler Monty Panesar's performance will also come under review by England. Benn took eight wickets in the match, and looked dangerous. Panesar managed only a single wicket in West Indies' innings, and didn't. He will probably survive because the North Beach ground in Antigua is developing a reputation for being one of the slowest and flattest in the world, so unless Sir Viv Richards gets his way and more grass is left on the pitch, England are likely to play two spinners there. One thing is for sure, on this evidence West Indies are a better team than their recent record suggests. The bowling, so often wayward, was disciplined and accurate, and Benn looks very promising. I am not sure about Xavier Marshall at number four, but Brendan Nash - a model of concentration - is a very welcome addition to their batting order. Best of all, however, was the obvious benefit captaincy has had on Chris Gayle. He knuckled down and reined in his natural aggressive tendencies to score an excellent century. I am sure we will see him play his normal game at some stage in the series, but this was not the right time, and England's batsmen need to study the way Gayle was prepared to adapt and play for the situation.
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