Darren Ganga

The West Indies had been heavily criticised for lacking pride and discipline earlier in this match, but that has not been the case over the past two days. Starting with Darren Sammy's seven wickets on Saturday, they have confounded most people's expectations by knuckling down to the point where they have an outside chance of levelling the series.

Derek Pringle 11/06/2007

West Indies are mercurial as a side can be, bouncing merrily this past month between total incompetence and steadfast obduracy.

We saw the best of it at Lord's in the drawn first Test and we have seen it in the second innings here, led brilliantly by the diligent, vigilant, unflappable Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who after four and a quarter hours will resume on 81, his third successive half-century of the series, and abetted by Devon Smith (42), Runako Morton (54) and Dwayne Bravo (49). On this occasion the tourists' batsmen have shunned the flash flippancy that has characterised too much of their cricket and taken responsibility instead.

Mike Selvey at Old Trafford
Monday June 11, 2007

Yesterday's cricket contained two collectors' items, firstly involving Steve Harmison bowling straight, and secondly a series of West Indians at least declining to use their bats as though they were auditioning for the conductor's job at the Last Night Of The Proms.

Martin Johnson 11/06/2007

How West Indies missed him during that flaccid surrender at Headingley. He had batted for four-and-a-half hours to set up the draw at Lord's, and he made another sheet-anchor half-century in the first innings here - an innings that only ended because of the wickets tumbling all around him. The spark for West Indies' fightback may have been provided by Darren Sammy's seven-for on Saturday, but Chanderpaul is the slow-burning wick that has kept that flame alight ever since.

It wasn't a solo effort by any means, although who else could have inspired Runako Morton's monument of self-denial in the afternoon session. Morton's natural game was best demonstrated by the furious swish he took after being given out lbw for 54 - it was the shot he had been gagging to play all innings, but had somehow found the willpower to resist. Instead he had been leaving the ball expertly against the quicks and spinners alike - and replays of his dismissal suggest his judgment didn't entirely desert him.

Andrew Miller at Old Trafford June 10, 2007

The underlying theme of all the reportage of the fourth day's play of the Third Test between England and the West Indies has been the levels of discipline shown by the Windies in the Test in general and the fourth day in particular.

Ganga's leadership has been about instilling discipline and nurturing a good work ethic. Sarwan considers himself a gambler who is willing to take risks.

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Ganga, at 28, brings a decidedly more mature approach than Sarwan, who will turn 27 in June. Not that age is the decider, but their temperaments and experiences have been starkly different. Ganga has been bumped in and out of the West Indies team, sometimes inexplicably, but he has been stoic and resilient and has always tried to work out his problems, though it has affected his confidence.

Vaneisa Baksh April 29, 2007

Maybe the fourth day was a one off, maybe it is too early in his captaincy for Ganga to leave his imprint on the team and for us to sit in judgement, maybe I am clutching at straws - but I think that Darren Ganga could be the best thing to happen to West Indies cricket in a very long time.