Cricket: Complacency consumes hosts

COMPLACENCY, pure and simple, shattered Kensington Oval's reputation as the bastion of West Indies cricket yesterday.

The West Indies have come to believe themselves invincible on this ground, with 12 consecutive Test wins since 1978. They had had one Test defeat: by England in 1985. Australia's 1991 one-day win was the only other reversal.

It is an imposing record and one that can encourage sport's most dangerous attitude, under-estimation of the opposition. It clearly consumed the West Indies yesterday.

They approached their seemingly modest target of 203 with a carefree abandon that did not take into account the fact that there was another team on the field.

Brian Lara had faced three balls from Steve Watkin when he decided to charge down the wicket to a bowler he had never before seen. The little left-hander might be the most naturally gifted batsman the West Indies have produced since Viv Richards, but someone who was the leading wicket-taker in England last season surely deserved more respect. Lara's careless stroke that landed a catch to mid-on off Devon Malcolm was the penalty for his indifference.

Desmond Haynes's pulled stroke from outside off-stump that skied a catch to mid-on off Alan Igglesden was unbecoming of the game's most durable and successful opening batsman. Keith Arthurton's convoluted stroke, that dragged the ball from two feet outside off-stump back into his wicket, was that of a specialist opening batsman unaccustomed to coming in with three cheap wickets down.

The impression was that the West Indies, so sure of victory, wanted to put on a show for their thousands of supporters for whom failure was unheard off. England simply observed the basics, kept tight control of length and line and let their opponents indulge their batting arrogance.

The home team's flippant attitude to what, as the first of the series, was a psychologically important match, was evident before a ball was bowled. Their captain and three main fast bowlers only arrived in Barbados the night before, an unsatisfactory state of affairs whatever the circumstances.

England have been handed a timely boost to their self- confidence three days before the opening Test and self-confidence is as much a part of the game as over-confidence.