Cricket: Echoes of a limbo song: how low can you go?

By Colin Croft

Sometimes, it is very difficult to write about cricket in general, or even about a particular game. The third ODI between the West Indies and New Zealand is such a situation.

I should note here that I am not the "real" supporter of West Indian cricket as would be normally found in the streets of the Caribbean. After all, I have played cricket for the West Indies, so I obviously want them to win.

However, since I am something of a sports journalist, I try to be neutral, with the hidden hope of success for the West Indies.

Game 3 of this one-day series was the poorest effort yet by the West Indies. How much lower this team could go is anyone's guess, but I genuinely hope that the basement floor is a massive trampoline, and the team is about to get an almighty bounce upwards. Realistically, though, I am not so sure of that.

But let me say that New Zealand deserve every accolade for both the test and one-day series wins. While many would suggest that the West Indies played so badly overall that it might be difficult to assess New Zealand's performance over the past five weeks or so, I believe that, in most cases, a team play as well as the opposition let them.

New Zealand were considerably more organised, purposeful and effective.

West Indies cricket has now, somewhat justifiably, become a great big joke. Seasoned sports journalists and cricket enthusiasts alike now find it difficult to find the proper adjectives for the team's poor efforts. Some are grossly embarrassed at what they are asked to witness on the field.

Ironically, after the third game, and after mentioning in my last article that this New Zealand tour parallelled last year's in South Africa, I got an e-mail from an ardent West Indian supporter living in Jamaica. She suggested that the New Zealand experience was worse.

I say that if ability cannot do it for the West Indies, then surely pride should. Unfortunately, life is not that simple in professional sport. After all, a team play against an opponent. In this case, New Zealand have been a very effective opponent, and worthy of their winning efforts.

Anyone at Napier on Thursday night would have been forgiven for thinking they were in a dream, more likely a nightmare, as the West Indies again tumbled. If these same people were sufficiently jolted from their West Indian-induced stupor, they would have found that New Zealand had again strangled the West Indies out for 159 in almost 50 overs, with minion Nehemiah Perry being a face-saver with 52 not out.

While Jimmy Adams and Shivnarine Chanderpaul were gotten out with some genuinely great deliveries, one wonders about those which got the wickets of Ridley Jacobs, Brian Lara, Ricardo Powell and Wavell Hinds. Under-rating personnel in an opposing team is dangerous. Concentrating for less than the required period of the game also contributes.

Chris Harris, New Zealand's "yo-yo" bowler, ensured that the West Indies will never forget that. He confused the West Indies with his looping, never-there-for-the-drive deliveries. It was even funny at times, as first Lara, then Powell then Hinds, tried to lash Harris's deliveries into Australia. All were caught not so far from the bat.

West Indian fast bowlers Reon King and Merv Dillon tried mightily to make amends, but it really was to no avail.

If you think that I was wrong about the situation getting worse, try this West Indies recent return. Game 1: West Indies 250-7 in 50 overs. Game 2: West Indies 192 in 41.3 overs. Game 3: West Indies 159 in 49.5 overs.

In the words of the song describing that very erotic and highly acrobatic Caribbean dance, the limbo, "How low can you go?"

We will see the West Indian team's answer to that question at the new WestpacTrust Stadium in Wellington today.