Lara lashes ‘one-sided’ pitch

[chinaman]

by HAYDN GILL

Saturday 29, May-2004

Brian Lara is bemoaning the pitch served up for the first Cable & Wireless Test between West Indies and Bangladesh at the Beausejour Stadium yesterday. The West Indies captain reckoned that the surface was even more batsman-friendly than the strip where he made his world record 400 not out against England at the Antigua Recreation Ground six weeks ago.

“If two very competitive teams play out here, I think it is going to be very difficult to get a result,” Lara said. “In Test cricket, it is important that you have tracks that serve both bowlers and batsmen well. This is very, very one-sided. “I don’t want to put the cart before the horse. We’ve still got to bat. They’ve got some runs on the board and they’ve got a couple spinners in their attack.”

Bangladesh, who won the toss, closed on 278 for seven on the strength of a commanding 115 from captain Habibul Bashar and an unbeaten 65 by the lucky Mohammad Ashraful. It represented somewhat of a fightback for West Indies after the visitors reached 171 for two early in the post-tea session.

“It was not the most responsive pitch. It was perfect for batting, even flatter and more docile than Antigua in the last Test match against England,” Lara said.

“The guys stuck in there. I thought they bowled a bit too short at times. They didn’t get the batsmen on the front foot enough. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who the opposition is ... to get seven wickets on such a track was a good effort.”

In hindsight, Lara said the West Indies might have been better off if they had included left-arm spinner Dave Mohammed and also said he would have fielded first had he won the toss.

“I thought if there was going to be anything in the pitch, it would have to be early in the morning, but maybe I’m not good at reading tracks. It was pretty flat from Ball 1,” Lara said.

“I just thought that playing at home and picking five fast bowlers in the squad, you would get something a lot more favourable to us.”

West Indies also suffered with three missed chances, including two straightforward ones by Fidel Edwards in the post-tea session.

“It is something we’ve got to work on. These guys have got to understand that we’ve got to play under pressure,” Lara said. “If something comes to you, you’ve got to take it. If half-chances come, you’ve got to make them into chances.”

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