Carlos Brathwaite - A ray of hope in testing times by Garfield Robinson

"He who hesitates is lost." Be decisive then, resolute. Dither, in many instances, and bad things might happen. Make the right decision, make it quickly, and prosper.

During the first day of the Sydney test against Australia, West Indies batsman Jermaine Blackwood was indecisive against a big-spinning delivery from Nathan Lyon and was bowled for 10. All-rounder Carlos Brathwaite, on the other hand, was clear-headed, unwavering, and played a stirring, impressive innings of 69, showing promise of a player capable of performing consistently well at international level.

To be fair, Blackwood's hesitancy was not without good reason. The terrible time his side has been experiencing has to be a heavy burden to bear. Normally positive and assertive, he has had difficulties this series against the Australian spinner. In three of four innings the Jamaican fell to Lyon, and it was evident he was not coping well with the bowler's drift, turn and flight.

Snapped up at short-leg in the first innings at Hobart, he would've also been fully cognizant of the man constantly hovering in that position. In Melbourne, during the prestigious Boxing-Day test, he appeared to misjudge the flight path of Lyon's dipping delivery as he ventured down the pitch and offered the grateful bowler a simple return catch.

Unable to put all of that behind him; unable, it would appear, to view what went on before as lessons learnt, the batsman seemed weighed down by his previous failures against the off-spinner. And though Lyon was bowling well and extracting significant turn from a first-day Sydney surface, Blackwood and most of his colleagues were, perhaps, too mistrustful of Lyon's offerings and therefore too tentative to wage wholehearted combat. This, in turn, heightened the bowler's confidence, enabling him to dictate terms.

I hope I'm not regarded here as being overly critical of the batsman. Having been a fan of his batting from when he was a schoolboy, I feel heavily invested in his cricket. As I stated above, he is normally a pro-active batsman. His second scoring shot in tests, after all, was a six driven high over mid-on off a startled Trent Boult. A rollicking hundred against England, along with forceful exhibitions against South Africa and Sri Lanka in a relatively young test career, indicates a batsman of considerable skill and fortitude.

Still, a run of failure can affect even the most capable performer. Whether caused by bad luck or a downturn in form it often leads to self-doubt. A turnaround, if and when it comes, is frequently preceded by a more positive mindset and maintained by an enhanced level of imperturbability.

Kobe Bryant, for example, said that no matter how many shots he missed, he was still confident of making the next one. Blackwood, I'm confident, will emerge from this brief glitch a better, more resilient player.

But, let us contrast the approach of Blackwood and some of his colleagues with that of Carlos Brathwaite. The tall Barbadian came into the side for the Test in Melbourne, and being a new arrival would possibly not be as beaten-down as some others by the line of horrendous defeats the West Indies has had to endure. He therefore played with a joy and a verve that a wounded veteran like Marlon Samuels, for instance, would've been unable to summon.

His first-innings 59 at Melbourne, his first Test knock, showed that he possessed a solid technique to go with his upbeat attitude to battingl. Brathwaite's innings, from number eight in the order, lasted 126 deliveries. Throughout, he showed the kind of restraint commonly required for consistent performances in cricket's longest form.

In Sydney he went full throttle, only rarely applying the handbrakes, posting a highly entertaining 69. His runs flowed from just 71 deliveries, and he struck, mostly from the very centre of his bat, seven fours and four sixes.

In the end, it required a special delivery to dismiss him. James Pattinson, armed with the second new ball, sent down one at almost 145kph that swung away late, evaded the batsman's attempt to play it to the leg side, and smashed into Brathwaite's off-stump. His removal must have been a satisfying relief to the Pattinson, who was launched for sixes over extra-cover and then deep square leg during the previous over.

Admittedly, despite his impressive display, the 27-year-old may be some way off from nailing down a permanent spot in the Test side. His bowling, not exactly express, is not yet penetrative enough for him to command a place based on that aspect of his cricket.

If Brathwaite's ideal future, based on observations so far, is for him to bat at six, say, and be something of a stock bowler, then he will have to contend with the fact that his captain and fellow Barbadian, Jason Holder, has skills not unlike his own and probably has the first claim to that role. It will be difficult to accommodate both of them in the same team.
cricbuzz.com
And yet to a side whose collective spirit has been dulled by crushing loss after crushing loss, Brathwaite's exuberance was a welcome addition. There is absolutely no doubt that he injected some amount of life in a team castigated for their ostensibly lackadaisical approach during their huge loss at Hobart. It will be good for the West Indies if he can stick around.