Too easy for England

Sad though it is to say it, it was all too easy for England against West Indies at Headingley. I hope Andy Roberts and the others that criticised Brian Lara in the Caribbean and pushed him into retirement are suitably ashamed now. The West Indies had one class player and 4 or 5 others well capable of supporting him (Gayle, Sarwan, Chanderpaul, Bravo, Powell...at a push) but they have paid the price for pushing out their best player now as, without two of those support players at Headingley (Sarwan and Chanderpaul), they looked pitiful. They are better than the likes of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe but not by much without Lara.

What a pity it is that Lara isn't playing. A pity for him, a pity for all spectators in England and most of all a pity for West Indies cricket. Such was the standard of the batting at Headingley that Sir Viv Richards suggested that he was tempted to make himself available and no-one would put it past him to do better than the current top order. If 55 year-old Viv thinks he could do better, what must a 38 year-old Brian Lara be thinking right now? And more to the point, how embarrassed must the likes of Andy Roberts feel in the Caribbean having successfully hastened his retirement?