Lot of prima donnas in this team: Sir Viv

Andrew Preston in London

Sir Viv Richards on Monday slated the current West Indies cricket team: "There are a lot of prima donnas in this team. Something is decidedly wrong."

He was speaking after the West Indies had lost to England, their first series loss to them since 1969.

"We saw a concerted and collective effort from England throughout this series and that is something we still have to learn. The players have to learn to commit to five days of hard cricket and then they can party and have a wonderful time."

One player who did stick out for him in a positive way, however, was young Ramnaresh Sarwan. The mature 20-year-old batsman from Guyana showed both skill and flair and gave the West Indies hope briefly on the final day.

He was building a strong partnership with Brian Lara, the batsman whose mantle it is hoped he may one day inherit, when he was cruelly run-out for 27 after a mix-up. To add to the pain of getting out early he also lay injured on the ground before leaving the field. He dived to try and regain his ground just as Graham Thorpe threw a direct hit at the stumps, and then accidentally caught Sarwan on the side of his head with his boot.

"I have been very, very impressed with young Ramnaresh Sarwan," said Richards. "He is one of the most relaxed looking players at the crease that I have ever seen. I think he has a very good future, and long may it last. I just hope he doesn't get carried away. To work hard is the most important thing.

"I liked his attitude at Headingley where he bounced back after getting hurt. I like his attitude and his appetite."

Sarwan stood out amongst the otherwise abject and indisciplined West Indies batting at Headingley, and ended up unbeaten in both innings on 59 and 17.

But he had to fight back even harder to play in the Fifth and final Test at The Oval. Just a week ago he flew home to Georgetown, Guyana, to attend the funeral of his 18 year-old girlfriend who had died of pneumonia.

"It was a terrible experience for a young boy," said West Indies tour manager Ricky Skerritt. "But he's a fighter and he is a very promising talent."

He certainly looked it again on Monday. He showed sound defensive technique, good balance and sweet timing when he took on both Andrew Caddick and Dominic Cork. He made batting look very easy on what was a difficult wicket.

Clearly disappointed to have lost the series, Sarwan remains level-headed about the future.

"We'll have to bounce back, but it's a long process. We have a couple of weeks off and then we must work hard and hopefully we'll improve."

The widely acclaimed Sarwan was one of the few signs of hope in the West Indies team, which relied far too heavily throughout the series on the performances of the bowling giants Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose.

The other promising players were leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo, who made his Test debut in this match after scoring a century the week before, against Somerset, and batsman Wavell Hinds.

In the fifth Test, Nixon McLean also finally showed signs of offering some support to the opening duo Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose, support which had been lacking throughout the series. He also scored a commendable 29 runs in the first innings which helped West Indies avoid the follow-on.

But it is clear that a lot of work will have to be done if the West Indies are to avoid embarrassment against Australia, especially if Curtly Ambrose really has retired from Test cricket, and if Courtney carries out his threat to finish too.

It was an emotional day for the pair of them. They were given standing ovations when they came out to bat, with the England team sportingly forming a guard of honour and applauding them to the wicket. Curtly then produced some glorious attacking stroke play, with a broad smile after each shot. Fittingly, he was then out, caught by Michael Atherton, with whom he has had so many battles over the years. Fittingly too, Courtney Walsh was out without troubling the scorers.

It was a happier day for England. Michael Atherton quite rightly won man of the match for his second innings century which effectively took the game away from the West Indies.

England may, in Viv Richards's words now be able to put on a "concerted and collective effort" but they are far from complacent. There is a confidence about the team and they managed to produce some compelling cricket, but they know that tougher challenges lie ahead, away from home against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and then at home against Australia and also Pakistan.

But even though the conditions this summer have favoured swing bowling, openers Darren Gough (England’s man of the series) and Andrew Caddick, backed up by the guile and swing of Dominic Cork and the pace of Craig White have looked an impressive strike force. What is lacking still is variety - - England’s search for world class spin bowlers continues.

Among the batsmen, Michael Atherton may be talking of retiring after next summer but he remains a steady and reliable rock at the top of the order. Marcus Trescothick and Michael Vaughan have been the big finds of the season in the batting department, while Dominic Cork has added a bit of bravado and daring to the lower order.

England supporters can just hope that the team can build on this success, and keep encouraging new talent to come through. This first series win over the West Indies since 1969 can only help English cricket.

While Ricky Skerritt talked after the game about there being a lack of professional players in the Caribbean, the hope is now that English cricket could be swinging back after years in the doldrums.

The pubs may not have been full last night and there may not have been dancing in the streets as there was earlier in the summer when England's football team beat Germany in the Euro 2000 tournament, a feat which also ended 31 years of hurt. But at least The Oval was packed full, with people being turned away from the ground soon after play began on Monday, for the fifth consecutive day. England's cricket fans were smiling last night....

Mail Cricket Editor