Published: Apr 05, 2016, 11:54 AM (IST)
Edited: Apr 05, 2016, 11:58 AM (IST)
The popularity of Caribbean players in T20 cricket is one thing, and their success at the international stage is another. The West Indies continue to stagger in Test cricket — an arena which they ruled for 15 years straight — and they are ordinary in ODI cricket. But when it comes to slam-bang version of the game, there are hardly those who play it so well, enjoy it more than the rest, and make T20 cricket even more loveable and entertaining. In the T20 World Cup 2016, West Indies had a dream ending, and in the process, they won many hearts too. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: England vs West Indies, ICC World T20 2016, Final at Kolkata
No cricket World Cup final would have ended with such unpredictability, suspense and thrill around it. Indeed, India and Pakistan had a terrific final in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007, but the Indians always had the edge over their opponents despite Misbah-ul-Haq’s fightback. But last Sunday, what the world saw was something surreal: victory of belief, talent and confidence over everything that can pull down a sports team. ALSO READ: T20 World Cup 2016: Darren Sammy’s West Indies emerges real champions in face of adversities
Darren Sammy and his men had two options: either they could have remained entangled in their prolonged battles with their cricket board, or they could have used the opportunity to make a strong statement. They either could have let the stinging criticism pull them down, or could have broken all barriers and beliefs that West Indies cannot do it. Sammy and his men, including their coaching staff, kept on choosing the later.
West Indies danced on the ‘Champion’ song made by one of their players. They danced to its tune, they partied as hard as could, they went viral on social media with their antics, but still, kept cricket at its deserving place.
They remained vocal against everything that they not like. The players did not like what the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) did, Sammy did not like what Mark Nicholas wrote. And Marlon Samuels smashed Shane Warne so hard, the Australian legend still have not found words to reply with. ALSO READ: Marlon Samuels’ legacy and the tale of two finals
West Indies rammed England with a 47-ball century by one of their batsmen. West Indies suffocated life out of South Africans with two spinners and got over the finish line with their lower-order chipping in. Sri Lanka were never a match. And West Indies stunned India in their backyard to break a billion hearts by sending their team out of the tournament, only to win them later.
Along the way, West Indies lost only one match. One. They lost to Afghanistan by a very small margin, their flashers failed to provide the spunk they usually do. After losing to a small cricketing nation, other international teams would have secluded themselves within the walls of the dressing room, hidden behind the tinted glass of team bus, and safely tucked in their heavily-guarded hotel rooms. But they are not West Indies. Their hero, Chris Gayle, danced with the Afghan cricketers after his side lost the match. Who does that?
Winning a World Cup final is a dream for all cricketers. It takes years in making to reach there, being the best among the best. But winning a World Cup final with four sixes off four balls is surreal. Carlos Brathwaite, on that night and if not for the majority of his innings, was surreal. England and West Indies played similarly in the T20 World Cup 2016 final, but the latter won only because they had Marlon Samuels and Brathwaite.
(Devarchit Varma is senior writer with CricketCountry. He can be followed on Twitter @Devarchit)
