There is so much that can be said about the progress and state of West Indies cricket. We've seen the West Indies, in the last two decades, make the exorbitant fall from grace, from being world beaters to simply being beaten. Former greats and current pundits have had the displeasure of seeing the West Indies nosedive to a near-minnow position in world cricket. The saddest part, however, was that much of the time, the Windies were the catalysts for their own downfall, often finding
some way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Mismanagement was also to blame, none more so than with Bennet King, whom Ramnaresh Sarwan branded as "one of the worst coaches in the world". By the late 2000s, the West Indies plummeted to number eight in the Test and limited-overs rankings, which, given the great players in the squad, was simply unacceptable.
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| Things were so bad, even Dhoni was getting WI batsmen out |
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| Gayle looks on after yet another post-defeat conference |
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| Otis Gibson |
In 2010, we saw the appointment of Otis Gibson to the coaching reigns. He had the responsibility of coaching a team in complete disarray, which was only exacerbated by Chris Gayle's fallout with the WICB and subsequent hiatus from the team. He also had to provide support to new-captain Darren Sammy, whose appointment was met with severe skepticism from fans and pundits alike.
After a humiliating 2011 World Cup exit to Pakistan, and a schooling at the hands of India that year, there were still slight glimpses of potential match-winning performances in this time. The big-hitting and athleticism of all-rounders Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, and Darren Sammy, the emergence of batting-talent in Darren Bravo and Johnson Charles, and the bowling talent of Kemar Roach, Ravi Rampaul and soon-to-be mystery spin sensation Sunil Narine meant that the West Indies had a silver lining on this miserable cumulonimbus that has been their team.
2012 came around. Australia came visiting the Caribbean. With the old guard of Lee, Hussey, Watson and Clarke, it was a "here we go again" scenario. The West Indies were surely gonna be dead and buried, right? Well, to my disbelief and delight, that was
not the case. The West Indies shared the One-day series 2-2 after coming so close to winning it, drew the T20 series 1-1, and although they lost the Test series 2-0, there were
many positives to be had from that series, with all the above silver-lining candidates performing under their new able leader in Darren Sammy.
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| Sammy was looking a determined, capable leader |
After a winless tour of England, the West Indies
still, I feel, had more reason to be optimistic. Chris Gayle returned to the team, and the experienced players in Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo and the tenacious Tino Best put in superb performances. It seemed as though everyone was clicking at some point.
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| Samuels put up a man-of-the-series display with the bat in England |
Then I heard English commentator David "Bumble" Lloyd pick the Windies as favourites for the T20 World Cup to be held in Sri Lanka that year. That would
never have been fathomed a decade, or even five years ago. After the West Indies simply tore the visiting New Zealanders to shreds, things were
really looking up. And well, fortune-teller Lloyd was spot on yet again.
The West Indies, with all the aforementioned players, played with a swashbuckling, relentless style, which saw them advance to the final to play hosts Sri Lanka. Here, the West Indies showed a never-say-die attitude which I had hitherto never seen from them. 48/2 after 12 overs batting first looks like a dire situation, right? Well, tell that to Marlon Samuels, whose blitz carried the West Indies to 137, and in the end, the West Indies bowling clicked as it did throughout the tournament. Astonishment and jubilation would be the end result in both fans, and indeed the players themselves. The West Indies became T20 Champions. Yes, the Windies actually WON the tournament. Crazy, isn't it? Well, it was crazy enough to become a reality. The West Indies was back on the map as a potential winning outfit. These
gangnam-styling, clearly
dynamic players were now among some of the world's best.
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| T20 World Champions- the West Indies |
This team, having previously been branded as minnows, now consisted of the kings of the Twenty20 format. The performances in the Test and ODI format are also improving conspicuously as a result of new-found confidence and belief throughout the squad. Since then, we've also seen the West Indian players stand out in the Indian Premier League as well. The West Indies actually has a team of individual match-winners, a team, which on paper, now makes its presence felt as a force to be reckoned with, rather than one to be brushed aside.
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Sunil Narine has now become
the No 1 ODI bowler with his
mystery spin |
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From agony to ecstacy; Chris Gayle's
return to the team has seen him
enjoy more individual and team success |
However, amidst all the understandable exhilaration, there is still a
long way to go for West Indies cricket, yet. There's also been some considerable defeats in recent times as well. We have seen the ODI series defeat in Bangladesh, an ODI 5-0 defeat away to Australia, the heart-breaking group-stage 2013 Champions Trophy exit at the hands of Mr. Duckworth and Mr. Lewis, as well not qualifying for the final of a subsequent tri-series which they hosted and appeared to be bossing in the beginning. The Windies have not completely rid themselves of the capitulation curse. Poor temperament and rushes of blood to the head are still ever-present in the team. Kieron Pollard will attest to this, as his rash shot and gifted wicket are what resulted in the West Indies not advancing in the Champions Trophy.
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Sammy and Bravo trudge off after D/L meant that the WI
would not advance to the Champions Trophy semi-finals |
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Not quite at the top, but it's a marathon, not a sprint...
Slowly, but surely.... |
Nevertheless, this is still the best Windies squad I have seen in the last few years. There's a perfect balance between experience and youthful exuberance. What pleases me most is the versatility in this batch of players. There are so many batsmen who are more-than-capable bowlers, the likes of Samuels, Gayle and Pollard, and the bowlers all have batting ability, which means that an opposition can never really ease up on concentration. If one player fails on the day, there is always another one who can, and in recent times,
does take up the responsibility and plays a key hand. The West Indies is clearly on the rise, and occasional defeats are still to be expected. However, Coach Gibson and the Sammy/Bravo captaincy seem to have orchestrated a noticeable turnaround, one which an follower such as myself will want to see blossom even more.
