The world erupted last week as the West Indies lifted the World T20 cricket cup in Sri Lanka. It was for the first time in 33 years that the boys from the Caribbean were lifting a World Championship tournament. Although the West Indies did manage to win the Champions Trophy of 2004 in England, never since Clive Lloyd's legendary team of 1979 had they managed to put in a belligerent and flamboyant enough performance to take home a World Championship trophy.
When India beat Australia in an ODI triseries in Brisbane 2008, the world believed that was the end of a decade of Australian dominance in world cricket. Time proved that although Australia didn't collapse as dramatically as the world expected them to, they certainly had lost their golden generation of cup-winning conquerors. On that historic day, one opinion writer summed up global emotions beautifully - "When the Australians lost in Brisbane, the world celebrated. But when an equally dominating West Indies team collapsed in the late 1980s, the world mourned."
The grand emotions that one saw following the West Indies' win were a direct continuation of that idea. Yes, the world loves underdogs. But the world also loves the West Indies! Gayle's Gangnam dancing was part of the Caribbean culture, said Pollard, following the win. They love to party, it's in their blood. But is it, really? Prior to the tournament, Sir Vivian Richards made his thoughts rather clear - "Look at them! They're always listening to music, laughing, dancing!" I suppose Sir Viv has a point. The West Indies didn't dance and fool around in the 1970s like they do today. They didn't bathe in champagne following a win or listen to boom box music in the dressing room. Neither did they roll on the floor laughing at a teammate nor prance around the field whilst the opposition looked on haplessly.
But there's something about West Indies cricket that appeals to the world when it's at its best - it's simple, straight forward and succinct. They don't beat around the bush, playing mind games, building up to a tournament. Nor do they waste their time stuffing their heads with colossal game plans and strategies. They don't cheat, sledge or irritate the opponent like the Aussies did when they ruled world cricket. Nor do they pick on their opponents, screaming and yelling at their face after getting them out. They just play their cricket - simple as it gets - and they play it hell hard while they're at it. Whether it was during the era of Andy Roberts and Joel Garner or today, with Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels, the West Indies are so wonderfully entertaining to watch while at their best. They cut straight to the point - playing plain, unabridged cricket and enjoying themselves thoroughly while at it. They're never 'gentlemanly' in the true English sense but they're not unnecessarily brat-like either.
That's when the West Indies are at their best - when their players aren't away on strike and when their cricket board isn't playing 'Big Brother'. And that's what exasperates the world when it comes to West Indies cricket. When you have the ability to enthrall the global audience with plain, unabridged cricket, why deprive them of it? Why put yourself into petty fights? It's hard to say if the World T20 win will signal a new era of Caribbean dominance in the sport but what's for sure is that the world is keenly hoping it will!
When India beat Australia in an ODI triseries in Brisbane 2008, the world believed that was the end of a decade of Australian dominance in world cricket. Time proved that although Australia didn't collapse as dramatically as the world expected them to, they certainly had lost their golden generation of cup-winning conquerors. On that historic day, one opinion writer summed up global emotions beautifully - "When the Australians lost in Brisbane, the world celebrated. But when an equally dominating West Indies team collapsed in the late 1980s, the world mourned."
 |
| Caribbean Calypso: The Windies celebrate their T20 win |
But there's something about West Indies cricket that appeals to the world when it's at its best - it's simple, straight forward and succinct. They don't beat around the bush, playing mind games, building up to a tournament. Nor do they waste their time stuffing their heads with colossal game plans and strategies. They don't cheat, sledge or irritate the opponent like the Aussies did when they ruled world cricket. Nor do they pick on their opponents, screaming and yelling at their face after getting them out. They just play their cricket - simple as it gets - and they play it hell hard while they're at it. Whether it was during the era of Andy Roberts and Joel Garner or today, with Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels, the West Indies are so wonderfully entertaining to watch while at their best. They cut straight to the point - playing plain, unabridged cricket and enjoying themselves thoroughly while at it. They're never 'gentlemanly' in the true English sense but they're not unnecessarily brat-like either.
That's when the West Indies are at their best - when their players aren't away on strike and when their cricket board isn't playing 'Big Brother'. And that's what exasperates the world when it comes to West Indies cricket. When you have the ability to enthrall the global audience with plain, unabridged cricket, why deprive them of it? Why put yourself into petty fights? It's hard to say if the World T20 win will signal a new era of Caribbean dominance in the sport but what's for sure is that the world is keenly hoping it will!
