Two cricketers of a kind

FROM THE BOUNDARY with Tony Becca

Over the past few weeks I have heard some things that have made me feel good, a few things which have left me looking to the future of West Indies cricket with a song in heart.

And as happy as I was when I heard that they had won, it was not the West Indies victory over Pakistan in the first Test match, neither was it the bowling of captain Darren Sammy that made me feel so good: it was the words of two leg-spinners, Devendra Bishoo and Anthony Martin, two of the Windies latest recruits.

Imran Khan, the West Indies Cricket Board's corporate communications officer, not the Pakistani genius, is an industrious young man, he loves West Indies cricket, he loves to write about its stars, and he has written reams about them.

This time he chose two of its newcomers, one to ODI cricket and to Test cricket and one to ODI cricket, to highlight, and based on what they had to say, he could not have chosen two better young men, especially at this time.

The words of Bishoo and Martin were like a rallying call to young West Indian cricketers. I do not know them but they sounded genuine, really genuine.

Rough times

Despite the Test win, West Indies cricket has been going through some rough times, and although there is enough blame to go around, some of it, a lot of it, most of it, lay squarely with the players.

The attitude of the players, most of them, for years now, as soon as they believe that they have arrived, even after scoring runs at only an ordinary rate, after taking only a few wickets at averages more befitting those of batsmen, has been poor.

They are easily satisfied, and they who wish to continue playing Test cricket, playing ODI cricket, and playing Twenty20 cricket, they who wish to earn lots of money from playing cricket, and they who wish to be known as the best as they fly around the world, some of them, most of them, hardly practise and train, certainly not half as much as they should.

Shortly after his man-of-the-match performance in one of the ODIs against Pakistan, Bishoo, the right-arm leg-spin/ googly bowler told the world, through Khan, "I want to be a great cricketer for the West Indies. I don't want to be just a regular cricketer in the West Indies team. I dream of great things and being great."

Filled with enthusiasm

And Martin, the right-arm little-spinning leg-spin bowler told the world, also through Khan, "I want to play for West Indies so bad and want to be out on the field so bad that even when I am not playing I am just praying for a wicket to fall so I can run out there with the drinks. I am hungry for this."

This, coming from two West Indies cricketers, even with the memory of Shivnarine Chanderpaul still in mind, was like music to my ears, especially when Bishoo also said: "I enjoy all formats of the game - T20, ODIs, and Test cricket. I want to be able to play all three formats of the game."

And when I see all the players, good players, who failed themselves and the West Indies because they shied away from practice and training, because they did as little as possible, only as much as they could get away with, and players whose one and only concern was money, even at the club level, Martin's follow-up made me say, even if I do not believe it, "yes, a new day is coming for West Indies cricket."

"I play cricket because I love it, I don't play for money, I play for the love of the game. Even if I wasn't being paid I would still be playing and I would still play with the same intensity."

"I am my own man," said the police constable from Antigua. "I know what I am about, I learned very early in my life that I have to prove myself and work very hard for everything I want."

And he went on: "whenever the selectors are ready for me I don't have to do much packing. My bags are packed and I'm ready to play. Wherever, whenever, I am ready to go. Cricket is what I love and it is what I want to do every day."

I do not know if Bishoo and Martin meant what they said, but one thing I do know, it sounded good, and apart from sounding good, if they meant it, it is good for West Indies cricket.

What I do know, however, what I have seen is that both men are good cricketers, one an attacking bowler who spins the ball both ways, bowls a good line and length, has a good, tantalising loop, and has a winning attitude, the other hardly spins the ball, drops it on the spot ball after ball, and attacks the batsman with a low, tight trajectory.

As a batsman, one is also a dogged number 11, good enough to score a few runs, as a fielder, the other is good, especially on the ground, and they are two tough competitors.