January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
Opening bats wanted
I won't bother to chronicle Bermuda's opening bat problems over the past few years they have already been well documented. It is enough to say that they must be rectified.
Ask any keen cricket observer and he will tell you that most successful cricket teams usually possess a very good pair of openers.
In the 1920s a rampant England side boasted the likes of Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe, during the 1980s - when the West Indies were supreme - Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes were regarded as the best opening pair in the game while Australia's current dominance of world cricket began with Mark Taylor and Michael Slater at the top of the order.
From a local perspective, Bermuda's 1982 ICC team, arguably the strongest squad we've ever sent to the tournament, had a fine opening pair in Gladstone 'Sad' Brown and Winston Reid.
They complemented each other well and will always be remembered for putting together a partnership of 211 against Malaysia. In the process, Brown became the first batsman to score a century in the ICC competition.
According to Gladstone, an opening batsman must have two characteristics: 'He must have a good technique and a sound defence.
Now by technique, I mean he moves behind the ball, knows where his off stump is and works from there.
His shot selection must also be good and he must make the bowlers work hard to get him out.
A player who left nothing to chance, the former Devonshire Rec star said: "My preparation began on the Tuesday before the game. I would consider the bowlers I was likely to face on the weekend, what their strengths were or what made them successful. If I was playing against Police, I knew I would encounter Adrian King, Robert Hinds and Tyrone Smith - I knew how they bowled. Then I would think about my game, the shots I could and couldn't play against them. If you do your homework and prepare, then most times it comes off - not all of the time, but more often than not."
When asked what advice he would give to an aspiring opener Brown said: "If he wants to open he has to first and foremost have a good technique.
"If he doesn't have a good technique he must be willing to learn one. I would encourage any youngster aspiring to be a good opening bat to get all the information he can from people who have been successful at opening.
"I can recall getting pointers from people like Sheridan Raynor and Dennis Wainwright. I would also encourage them to read books by great opening batsmen like Geoff Boycott.
"Say what you will about the man, but if you listen to him talk about the game or read what he has written it makes a whole lot of sense.
"Finally, I would encourage youngsters opening the innings to put NO (Not Out) beside their score and try to bat the innings out. If they do that, then they will find themselves up in the averages when the season ends.'
As my article this week revolves around opening bats, it would be remiss of me not to mention the splendid innings I witnessed over the weekend by Devonshire Recreation Club opener Ricardo Brangman at the Den.
Ricardo is a player to be watched, an entertaining batsman who has the ability to play on the international stage.
He times the ball well and is always looking to take the attack to the bowler. He is by nature an aggressive opener, more along the lines of a Matthew Hayden or Marcus Trescothick than a Michael Vaughn.
Perhaps inspired by the first class paint job carried out earlier on the club by one Ryan Swan, who was mercilessly teased by 'Shaggy' for ending up with more paint on himself than on the club, Brangman played Leg Trappers right out of the game.
He and fellow opener Jeremy Fray prospered against a Leg Trapper attack spearheaded by former national team fast bowler Saleem Mukuddem. With a mixture of caution and aggression they put together a useful opening stand of 61.
Ricardo went on to top score with a fine 84 and was unlucky not to get a hundred. Nevertheless, he is fine batsman and I would encourage our national team selectors to have a good look at him.[[In-content Ad]]
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