Chappell sees a silver lining for Windies

Greg Chappell, the Indian coach, is optimistic that there is a silver lining to the storm clouds shrouding West Indies cricket. He has said that he was impressed with what he has seen of the makeshift team on its present tour of Sri Lanka.

"It's clearly a difficult time for West Indies cricket but maybe it's something that's necessary to go through to come out on the other side in a stronger position," he commented a day after India's victory by four wickets in the Indian Oil Cup over a West Indies team depleted by the absence of its main players because of the ongoing dispute between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA).

"I think, in some ways, that one of the positives to come out of it is that there is now another group that has been exposed at the top level," he said. "There is real talent among this group and I think you'll find three or four players who will come through and be part of the next generation, and hopefully a successful generation, of West Indies cricket".

Chappell noted that the success of even a few members of the team in Sri Lanka would put pressure on those players watching back in the Caribbean and provide more options for selection. "You can't build a strong team with a group of just 12 or 13," he stated. "You need around 20 you can call on to cover for such contingencies as injury and loss of form."

He described what the West Indies achieved in their two Tests against Sri Lanka, with captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul as the only one with significant international experience, as promising, in spite of their defeats. "Everyone expected them to be blown away inside two days [in the Tests] but they competed pretty well so that's also a good sign," he said. "As a group, they seemed pretty together, they seemed to be supporting each other and they seemed a pretty happy bunch. All of that is positive from an outsider looking in."

Chappell said that he had lived through two great periods of West Indies cricket and was saddened by the disruption caused by the row between the WICB and the WIPA. As a teenager, he followed the success of the teams led by Frank Worrell and Garry Sobers in the 1960s and played against teams led by Rohan Kanhai and Clive Lloyd between 1973 and 1982. He captained Australia in their 5-1 triumph in 1975-76, their 2-0 loss in 1979-80 and the shared 1-1 series in 1981-82.

After spending five weeks in Grenada, Chappell felt that the talent and the natural athleticism was still there. "What I saw last night [in the match against India] confirmed it again," said Chappell. "The West Indies should always be one of the best fast bowling teams in the world and the best fielding team in the world too with their athleticism, their strong throwing arms, their pace around the field and all of that."

He has spoken to Bennett King, the West Indies coach, who is working on improving these talents. "If he can do that, given what I've seen of this group," added Chappell "and what I know is sitting back in the West Indies and will be available to play again at some stage in the near future, he would have the nucleus of a strong team."