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West Indies tour of South Africa 2014-15: One-sided encounters may suck interest out of series

The West Indians have been one of the most entertaining teams in the recent past.

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West Indies batsmen put up no fight against the South African bowlers, South Africa's innings and 220-run win in Centurion © Getty Images
West Indies batsmen put up no fight against the South African bowlers and the hosts won the game with an innings and 220 runs at Centurion © Getty Images

The result of the first Test between South Africa and the West Indies at Centurion did not come as a surprise to many. The innings and 220runs massacre handed to the visitors was something that many had expected to occur. Amit Banerjee explores how the lopsided result is causing the spectators and viewers to lose interest.

The first Test between South Africa and West Indies bore a script that was fit for a boring, predictable flick. The audience got to witness Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers plundering the opposition bowlers with little discomfort on their end as South Africa piled up a massive total of 552 runs. The West Indian batting line-up was already weakened with the absence of Chris Gayle but the presence of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Marlon Samuels was slightly reassuring for the visitors. That aside, the stark difference in the Test rankings between South Africa (No. 1) and West Indies (No. 8) added to the perception of a South African rout all the way.

The South African pace attack however dashed all West Indian hopes to the ground, with Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel tearing through the opposition batting order. The last rites were performed in the second innings, with Dale Steyn single-handedly shredding the West Indians to pieces with figures of six for 34, proving once again why he is the best bowler in the world right now.

The West Indians have been one of the most entertaining teams in the recent past. Their laid-back attitude, their ability to appear a happy outfit despite the problems that surround West Indian cricket administration and most importantly the vibrant brand of cricket that the ‘calypso boys’ have been playing in the recent times have earned them a lot of fans. But, the kind of performance that the West Indians put up in the first Test was not much different than what is usually put up typically by the minnows.

While the steamrolling of the men from the Caribbean may have helped the Proteas catch up on a lot of fronts, especially recover from the blow of losing the Twenty20 International (T20I) and One-Day International (ODI) series against Australia in the latter’s backyard, it did not contribute to the notion that Test cricket is starting to get its charm back. A couple of more such results, couple of more such one-sided games that do not have any interest, and the people from both countries may as well stop watching the games altogether out of pure boredom.

While the turnout for the first Test was a decent one to say the least, and the South Africans are known to love their cricket, but one-sided encounters can result in empty stands, as was seen during the South Africa-India Test series earlier this year. With two more Tests, aside from five one-dayers and two T20Is left in the tour, the organisers would be hoping for some action to spring up in the series in order for them to keep their profits.

More than that factor, it is the fact that a one-sided series could result in a serious morale-damage to the West Indies ahead of the ICC World Cup 2015, which is now a little more than a month away. One wouldn’t want to head into a ICC World Cup 2015 with a string of defeats behind them (there have been exceptions though, such as India in 2003). More importantly, it is important for the spirit of Test cricket to remain alive, which the ongoing series between Australia and India is maintaining up to an extent.

While one must congratulate the way the South Africans have been performing at home and are on the verge of winning the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test Championship Mace, one must hope for the likes of Chanderpaul, Samuels, Kemar Roach and Jerome Taylor to start firing for their respective departments.

(Amit Banerjee, a reporter at CricketCountry, takes keen interest in photography, travelling, technology, automobiles, food and, of course, cricket. He can be followed on Twitter via his handle @akb287)

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