ENG v WI 2020: Ostrich policy leaves West Indies nowhere
Ostriches are believed to bury their heads under the sand when they perceive any sort of threat. Like they'll spot an elephant meandering towards them and literally poke their beaks into the mud. Supposedly, the idea behind their absurd defence mechanism is that of facing conflict by pretending to deny reality. The West Indies' batsmen, on the fifth and final day at Manchester, ploughed the same furrow.
Ben Stokes, after his stonewalling marathon-effort during the first essay, reverted to type and blitzed 78 off 57 deliveries to help England set West Indies an arduous 312-run target. Despite Stokes hitting the gas pedal, the hosts had lost the best part of the morning session in their bid to provide the bowlers with some extra cushion.
The prospect of West Indies chasing down the total seemed nigh-impossible. And they didn't have to. All they needed to do was to somehow keep England at bay for the remainder of the day's play. But the Caribbean swashbucklers refused to mend their ways, neglecting with disdain the fact that it was England's game to be won.
John Campbell threw the kitchen sink at Stuart Broad's half-volley to perish nicking behind. Kraigg Braithwaite and Shai Hope departed to jagging nip-backers. Roston Chase shouldered arms to an innocuous slanter from Broad and was pinged dead on the knee roll. With the scoreboard reading a grim 37/4, the blueprint was all but laid out for the batsmen to follow.
West Indies flatter to deceive
Though West Indies aren't averse to defying conventional logic. Shamarh Brooks and Jermaine Blackwood merrily rolled the dice, unfurling a buffet of flashy drives alongside audacious over-the-top lofts.
While the proactive approach manifested their happy-go-lucky demeanour, it also brought to light the incompetence of West Indies' batsmen to shrug themselves out of their comfort zones even when the situation begged for vigilant circumspection.
Jason Holder smacked consecutive boundaries off Dom Bess before having his furniture disturbed with an absolute peach. That Alzarri Joseph, no slouch with the bat, preferred flexing his muscles rather than applying himself at the crease was another glaring testimonial of Windies' reckless abandon.
"We're disappointed with the result. We have let ourselves down. England played a good game of cricket so they deserve all the credit. We could have stretched the game but that's when we let ourselves down and lost wickets in clusters. England bowlers challenged our batters a lot, stuck to their tasks, and held their lengths. The batters got caught in the crease; we need to get forward or back and make sure we are decisive about playing or leaving and also with our footwork.", West Indies skipper Holder reflected at the post-match press-conference.
"It's a short-term problem, honestly. We need to understand the scenarios better. English bowlers tend to bowl long spells, so we need more grit and trust our defences for longer.'', the losing captain added.
England deserved nothing less. They bowled with skill, penetration, and vigour to keep the series alive. However, playing into their hands were West Indies, the ostriches who chose against resistance in the face of adversity.