Shivnarine Chanderpaul Tribute!

After pinpointing the ineptitude of the West Indies batsmen against pressure, and recognising the gaping need for an anchor man, Pakistan simply did what their team has the ability to do - they bowled a consistent and threatening line and length to allow the mentally fragile batsmen to whither in the South American heat. If only there were a stabilizer, a thorn in opposition's side, a Trott-like gnat to hover annoyingly despite the predator's fiercest swipes. If only substance had not been jettisoned for style and if only conditional awareness had come into play when the squad was being picked to select a player, any player, who could dig deep and tackle the demons of the pitch and the opposition. Chanderpaul is renowned for prizing his wicket like no other - more often than not, he would have found a way to tough things out.

Those who support Chanderpaul completely understand the argument against his inclusion. Quite frankly, though, it doesn't hold when compared with the need that exists. Across the cricketing world, ODI nations have their best Test batsmen in their line-ups because they recognise that the format requires a chutzpah that great Test batsmen possess. From Amla to Trott to Misbah, there is the knowledge that you need a backbone in an ODI batting line-up, regardless of the lack of glamour. Unless another batsman in the current line-up steps up to do the dirty work, the selectors have to plug the enormous hole in their order.

Chanderpaul never retired from ODI cricket - he was a victim of a post-World Cup 2011 purge that placed the blame at his feet for the team's unsuccessful campaign. He was a scapegoat, and he was thrown away in ODIs for the wrong reasons.

Chanderpaul is often described as a 'crab' at the crease. Crabs don't make great entertainers. They don't drive with elegance or pull with panache. They claw. They scratch. They exist in perpetual commotion with themselves, lacking suave but forever battling against all challenges. For the West Indies, there needs to be a survivor among the showmen; not only to see out the difficulties, but to help them develop strong shells of their own.