WI vs South Africa: Nash & Chanderpaul seem like the perfect batting couple!

It was heartening to see that somebody from the WI camp finally decided to bat with some semblance of spirit. As a result, the hosts are now in a position to easily draw the game unless they do something drastically stupid. Once again, the rescue act has been perpetrated by Chanderpaul. He is someone I have often written about on this blog. He appeals to my senses with his ability to succeed despite not having the natural flair that most left-handed batsmen possess or the arrogance that is trademark of the Calypso batsmen. Now, it seems that he has found an able supporter in the form of Nash. This guy is your typical grafter. He doesn't have a stroke of brilliance and if your looking for someone to make TV viewing pleasurable with off-side drives and straight pushes, Nash is not the guy one would like to recommend. He is very much like Chanderpaul, wait-out the bowler's patience and then seize upon the opportunity to score-off the slightly wayward deliveries. Until then, it is all about composure and nudging and pushing for the singles. Anyways, it is widely believed that a player's overall effectivity determines his worth in his team and not his style of performing...I hope, the likes of Sarwan and Yuvraj are listening.

Shillingford and Suleimann Benn Make Sense for the WI

It was heartening to see a West Indian bowling performance that had some intensity to it and didn't border on being mediocre-something that the team has been struggling to avoid for the past several years. In terms of bowling combinations, Shillingford and Benn combined  really well to form a spin combo that made a lot of sense for a side that usually depends upon its fast bowlers to do all the work, including the donkey work that is needed in the middle overs. I like the way Shillingford was willing to give some air to the ball and didn't mind varying his pace, every few deliveries. On the other hand, Benn used the slight bounce in the pitch to his advantage. Given that the West Indian side does not have a single fast bowler who is seriously experienced, the presence of two spinners who can bowl tight, long spells is really handy.