West Indies cricket coach Ottis Gibson has slammed senior players of the team saying that they had to take the share of the blame for being booted out of the ICC World Cup on the back of its third straight collapse.
The West Indies team was bowled out for a paltry 112 in their 50 overs while Pakistan cruised to a 10-wicket victory.
The results mean that the regional team, winners of the first two World Cups are without a limited overs international win over a higher-ranked cricket team in more than two years.
Gibson placed blame on Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who he said did not live up to expectations during the tournament.
“It’s hard to say whether they have played their last game,” Gibson said.
“We have four to five weeks (until a home series against Pakistan) to sit down and decide which direction we’re heading, whether we are going to continue to pin our hopes on some of those senior guys or move on and get some youngsters,” he said.
Gayle returned from injury to open the batting against Pakistan but fell for eight, Chanderpaul, who was recalled after his poor form which led to him being dropped for the final two games of the group stage, was not out on 44 from 106 balls.
Sarwan made 24 but none of the players could inspire their younger teammates to dig in against Pakistan’s spin.
Gibson highlighted the fact that while three players made their international debut at this World Cup, Chanderpaul was at his fifth World Cup and Gayle and Sarwan at their third.
However, Gibson said abandoning all the senior players would be unwise.
The Windies coach said he wanted one or more senior players to play the role Sachin Tendulkar performs for India.
West Indies was a perennial contender at the World Cup in the 1970s and l980s, when players such as Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards struck fear into the hearts of the opposition.
©2011 Community Newspaper Group
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