Following his last innings of 98, many of Marlon Samuels' fans are asking the question: Has he finally turned the corner?
Marlon Samuels, affectionately known as Sammy, has always exuded confidence. He walks with a swagger that belies the fact that to date he has realised very little of the precocious batting talent that he has. From a school boy, he and everyone who saw him bat knew that he had talent. He made batting look so easy. That is why he represented Jamaica in a first class match at the age of 16, and represented the West Indies at the Test level at the age of 19. However he has not until now, delivered on his early promise.
There have been questions about his attitude which date back to when he was a schoolboy. Reportedly he never took his schoolwork seriously, since, according to him, test cricketers did not need to worry about exams. I taught at his alma mater, Kingston College in Jamaica, a couple of years after he left high school, and the teachers who taught him spoke of an arrogant young man who would offer his autograph to his fellow students.
It is this nonchalant attitude that has been mostly blamed for his lack of results on the pitch. His record speaks for itself: In 23 Tests, he averages 28.21 with 1 century and 7 fifties. In 82 ODIs he averages 29.36 with 2 centuries and 11 fifties. A paltry record for one who made an undefeated 60 on Test debut at the age of 19 in Australia against the likes of McGrath and Warne. This is also the same batsman who made an imperious, undefeated 108 off 75 balls in an ODI against India in 2002 - an innings that his captain, Carl Hooper, described as one of the best he had ever seen.
There is, however, hope that Samuels may finally be living up to his potential. In his last two ODI series, in Pakistan and through the first 3 matches of the current series against India, Samuels is averaging 51.8. This run of form over his last 7 ODIs includes two match winning knocks of 100 n.o. against Pakistan and 98 against India. Could this be the turning point for Sammy? I don't think that Samuels will ever lose his borderline arrogance, but hopefully his laisez-faire attitude has improved. If so, then just maybe we will see the full potential of Marlon Samuels.
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