So the West Indies became World Champions of T20 cricket last night thanks to Marlon Samuels’ heroic 85 runs and Carlos Brathwaite’s breathtaking 34 of 10 balls, including those stunning 4 sixes off the last over. The West Indies boys claimed the Under 19 World Cup as well and the previous day the West Indies Women’s Cricket Team defeated Australia. It doesn’t get better than this. Apart from those swashbuckling innings and the team effort as a whole that went on to humble the English team, there are several other reasons that make the triumphs experienced by West Indies even more spectacular:
They did this to the bowlers
Poor Ben Stokes will probably never recover from the bludgeoning he received at the pitiless hands of Brathwaite yesterday evening as the batsman swatted four consecutive sixes off each of the four deliveries bowled in the last over by the hapless, stunned Stokes. Poor Stokes has just had his defining Chetan Sharma- Javed Miandad moment.
A triple win
West Indies cricket has had a dream run recently: the Under 19 beat India to win the Under 19 world cup in Dhaka this February and then the West Indian women also lifted the World Cup. The West Indies women’s team also beat the Aussies, at Eden Garden, on the 3rd of April. We saw delightful images of celebration such as this –
And this:
They made this song!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y963o_1q71M
Which other cricket team in the world is as cool as these guys? D J Bravo composed this song Champion and the guys danced to celebrate their win as only the Windies can; largely shirtless:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1O6WF0gjB6A
Usain Bolt celebrated too!
The Jamaican sprint legend was clearly delighted with the cricket team’s win too; also shirtless…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuWkGCy3xko
West Indies cricket crisis
When compared with the highly paid, cosseted, feted and pampered Indian cricket players, the West Indies team are poorly paid and shabbily treated by their own cricket board. As the captain said after their spectacular win, congratulatory messages were pouring in from everywhere but their own cricket board. The Windies won in spite of their cricket board, not because of it!
Sachin Tendulkar spoke up for the team
Referring to the crisis in West Indian Cricket, even Sachin, The God of Cricket spoke out in support of the gutsy West Indian side.
Despite all the trouble, they came and they conquered and they did it with every team they have!
Author – Reena Daruwalla
