Slaughter & Mayhem But The Spirit Is Willing

Pollard hits Lee for six
and raises his hundred

The West Indies have gone one up with one to play after the fourth of five ODI's being played in the current Australian tour of the Caribbean, after one of the most destructive individual batting displays in 50 over history.

Batting first, Adrian Barath set the pace early with 9 fours in his 31 ball innings of 41. His opening partner, Johnson Charles couldn't match the fireworks but was solid before being the fourth out at 106 in the 25th over. The West Indies had become bogged down by the Australian bowlers and with half the overs gone, 220 was looking to be about their best.

Step in Kieron Pollard, who for the next 25 overs, went at the Australians like a starving man attacks steak. In an hour and a half of mayhem, the previously tight Australians went at seven and a half an over, with Pollard's hundred taking just 69 balls and including 8 monstrous sixes and a paltry 5 fours. The speed of his century isn't in the Shahid Afridi class but it was still quick, with the last half coming off just 19 balls as the Windies made 117 off their last ten overs.

Of course, such acts of destruction rarely happen single handed and so it was at St Lucia. At the other end, Andre Russell (34 off 32) and the inspirational skipper Darren Sammy (31 off 13) were suitable lieutenants in this punitive attack on the men in yellow. Brett Lee suffered the worst of the treatment but finally got his man in the last over when Pollard was caught deep in the covers by Mike Hussey.

It was a stiff task after such a mauling and it got worse when David Warner left at the start of the second over when he was done by a first up slower ball from Dwayne Bravo. The rest of the batting order down to eight delivered starts but few finishes, with David Hussey and Brett Lee the only batsmen to go on and mount a threat. As had been the case in the West Indies innings, the Australians were done and dusted at 5-112 in the 21st over but the younger Hussey provided his usual refusal to submit. He and Wade added 67 in thirteen overs before the wicketkeeper holed out to Russell off the hero of the day, Pollard. The next five overs looked to have cruelled the Australian, with Sammy, Sunil Narine and Kemar Roach combining to keep things tight, frighten the life from Lee and dismiss Hussey. In the crucial 39th over, Roach struck Lee with a beamer - quite obviously unintentionally - took the opportunity to follow it up with a fast rising ball and then bowled Hussey with a ball pitched up just outside off and moving back. It would have been too good for most.

Lee smashes Roach over cover

Brett Lee has always been a man for lost causes. With ten overs left, there would be no lower order support for him in the manner Pollard received. With Clint McKay, Xavier Doherty and Ben Hilfenhaus for mates, it was obvious that any heroics would have to come from the Wheatbix Kid himself. McKay is a handy defender and pusher of the single, neither quality of any use in this situation. Doherty is a ferret at best and Hilfenhaus was batting below him. Despite the credentials of his batting companions and perhaps stirred on by the treatment he received at the hands of Roach earlier, he smashed 24 from the 41st over delivered by a returning Roach. His tally included three sixes, two of which cleared long on but one mighty flog disappeared into the crowd - literally - after travelling over cover. Order was restored when Dwayne Bravo bowled a variety of slower balls, reducing the effectiveness of the hitting and caused McKay to lob a simple catch Pollard, unable to stay out of the game no matter what happened. Narine returned for his last over, deceived Doherty with flighted off break which he steered to Darren Sammy at short cover - the safest hands in world cricket. Narine's quiet contribution of 1-21 from his ten overs played a large part in the victory and even when the flogging sticks were out at the death, this last six balls cost him 1 run.

The end came when Lee sent another booming drive down the ground but couldn't clear the substitute's head at long off and the impossible dream ended well short. Fittingly in such scripts, Roach was the bowler.

In the washup, Wade was again wasted at seven and must open. Watson must bat at three. Australia doesn't need to panic about the bowling attack, as efforts such as Pollard's don't happen that often. Watson will always be successful at the death because he has several varieties of change of pace, something the others bowlers seem to lack. Note please Billy - something to work on.

An important postscript to the game was the high level of sportsmanship shown by players in what otherwise was a pressure cooker situation. Yet again, as it was in England in 2005, it was Lee who was a central player. Fast bowlers are much like that line of Dylan's ... "they took a clean cut kid and they made a killer out of him, that's what they did" ... but in Lee's case, he has always played the game to the highest expectations and aspirations of sportsmanship, without ever compromising competitiveness and hard nosed, fierce sporting aggression. He understands the difference between sportsmanship and gamesmanship is like having two hands but knowing which is your strongest. In this encounter, he was flogged for all he was worth for the first part of his day in the office and then, at the start of his innings, felled by an accidental delivery that everyone in cricket hates. To both players credit, Lee accepted the immediate and unconditional apology from Kemar Roach who had moved quickly to him and stooped to checked on his well being. The next ball was delivered and played in the harshness of competition, as it should have been and the camera's caught Lee and Roach smiling up the wicket at each other - no slanging of insults, no snarls. What a lovely change.

Lee took to Roach. Roach finally dismissed him. Mark the next. With the game over, the Windies moved into a huddle and celebrated for a few minutes. Lee stayed, directed his batting partner Hilfenhaus to stay and both waited to congratulate their opponents when they broke from their huddle. On other days, other men would have just walked off and left the winners to be grinners.

This is why I played the cricket my uncles loved and taught me. Its why I listened to the tales of humility of the greats my father met from St George in the 1940's and 50's. This is why I write about it now.

Its more important than money or winning or ratings or positions on a competition table. Its beyond all of that.

It's the spirit of cricket.