'Mr Hooper' leading new West Indies generation

Winning a test series in Zimbabwe does not usually rank high on a captain's list of achievements, but Tuesday's triumph for Carl Hooper's young West Indies side represented something of a milestone.

Before the series, the West Indies had lost 18 of their last 20 test matches away from home, a run that included whitewashes in Australia and South Africa and an ignominious 3-1 defeat in England last year.

Tuesday's rain-affected draw in the second test against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club ensured the West Indies their first series win away from home in six years.

It also came followed victory in the one-day triangular series in which a rampant Indian side were comfortably beaten in the final.

The turnaround in fortunes is perhaps best credited to one man - Hooper.

Appointed in controversial circumstances earlier this year, the 34-year-old is in many cases a generation ahead of the youthful talent in his team, but he has shown an growing ability to conjure match-winning performances from his young players.

Man-of-the-series Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Marlon Samuels and Daren Ganga all look up to their captain with the kind of respect normally reserved for a father figure, prompting former West Indies fast bowler Colin Croft to compare Hooper's influence to that of his own captain, Clive Lloyd.

MR HOOPER

The esteem in which Hooper is held by the young players was probably best illustrated when Sarwan referred to his captain as 'Mr Hooper' in a television interview last week.

"First of all he shouldn't be referring to me as 'Mr Hooper'! I've known Ramnaresh since he was a little boy and 'Carl' would be just fine," the captain chuckled as he pondered the series victory.

"I realise though that we have a lot of very, very young players and they really want to do well but what they crave more than anything is guidance. I hope that in the six or seven months that I've been back I've been able to do that and show them the way.

"I try and talk cricket with them as much as possible. At this point of time in my career I consider myself not a father figure as such but someone who's here to help some of the younger players to understand what test cricket is all about and how to adapt to situations as quickly as possible," Hooper said.

The West Indies captain was the only player whose wife or girlfriend accompanied him on the tour, another indication of his elevated status.

REALIST

Despite the niche he has carved for himself, however, Hooper remains realistic about the future.

"I want to take things from tour to tour," he said. "At the end of the day it's not really up to me, it's up to the selectors. We've had a number of captains that have come and gone in the span of a year so I don't think I can look to far into the future.

"If I can get us playing consistent cricket I think we will be in good shape in three or four years time," he said. "Whoever takes over his aim has to be the same. The most important thing is that whoever is leading the side encourages the younger players to relax, work hard and be positive with their cricket so that their game comes through".

The next challenge for Hooper's young team is a one-day series in Kenya followed by a trip to Sri Lanka later this year.

In the meantime, the captain is happy to reflect on a successful seven weeks in Zimbabwe.

"Like every tour it had its ups and downs," he said. "The test series was tricky too but we came through with flying colours. It's been good, I've enjoyed it."

Mail Cricket Editor