The West Indies World T20 playbook

Ben Stokes to Carlos Brathwaite. This was a quintessential poker game. The cards had been dealt and the winner takes all. The stakes, however, were much higher than that. To the victor would go the respect and bragging rights and the loser would just be yet another team that was vanquished, and would have to wait, not two, but four years for another shot. Some, like myself, saw it as a poker match. others saw it as war. A war that was reaching its unbearable and unwatchable boiling point.

The Eden Gardens Crowd love their cricket. It’s a fact. On the night, the 60,000 odd jam packed Kolkata venue was well and truly divided on the night of the 3rd of April. For Ben Stokes, the last six balls held not only his reputation as a bowler. It held the reputation of ‘Queen and Country’. He was facing up to Carlos Brathwaite. The latter was a towering figure as far as someone like a Ben Stokes was concerned.

A massive piece of willow, the budgie arms, and massive biceps faced the stone-faced Ben Stokes. Four balls later, Stokes was on the ground with his head in his hands. He had just thrown the game away. While the television cameras focus their unforgiving lenses on the emotional Ben Stokes, Brathwaite, and the Windies were unstoppable. They had finished a grueling match, physically draining. Yet they had the energy to run wild. For the puzzled folks with their eyes glued to the telly, they were watching with emotions too. Was this the renaissance of West Indies cricket?

It is said that if you take a group of 10-11 men from the Caribbean, it is not a team. It is something Rastafarians call ‘A gang’. Well, in the context of the World T20 2016, Darren Sammy led his gang to the World T20 title. No biggie. It was something he had done before. 2012, the year the earth was to come to an end, Sammy and his band of merry men clinched the World T20. Better yet, they didn’t win it. They snatched it from the hands of a determined Sri Lanka.

However, there was something special about winning the World T20 on Indian soil. Was it because they had such a strong connection with the Indian fans? Maybe. Behind all the ‘Calypso Cricket’, behind each and every smile, there was a West Indies player on the brink. On the brink of total depression and destruction. The ‘Champion’ dance for the real ‘champions’ of the world.

The West Indies Cricket Board is in a shambolic state. And that is putting it mildly. Money problems, contracts problems, and player problems are only scratching the surface to the plethora of issues the WICB are currently facing. For those used to the golden generation of West Indies cricket, this is beyond shock. Viv Richards, Garry Sobers, Clive Lloyd, Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall. My word those are some big names. As far as many are concerned, the death of West Indies cricket came at The Oval in London in 1994 while the Ashes were cremated in 2013 when West Indies cricket was at an all time low.

This amazing yet required revival in the context of the World T20 under the captaincy of Darren Sammy has brought Windies cricket closer to the light of the day. A percentage of these players don’t play for the West Indies with regularity. The commercialization of cricket has got to them. Apart from the financial inducements, they are loved all over the world.

The West Indies playbook is something very special. It is not something that is passed down from generations. It is also not the something other cricketers or cricketing nations can follow. Perhaps the most important part of the playbook is to entertain the crowd. That is the only reason one can think of as to why the Windies are loved as they are around the world.

If the footballers can show their flair via their celebrations, why not the cricketers? This sort of a thing is usually called the ‘dancing swagger’. Everybody copied it. And by everybody, this included the cricketers as well. Whether it was Usain Bolt, Brian Lara, the Afghanistan team, David Willey or even that random fan doing it in the crowd, the ‘champion dance’ had spread. Spread like a blazing stack of hay. Shamar Springer, the man who helped the Windies to the U19 World Cup win had showcased his skills earlier with the ‘Springer dance’.

However, as well as we know, you don’t win an ICC event by entertaining crowds with your dancing skills. You win it by playing gutsy and as many say ‘balls to the wall’ cricket. This was it for the West Indies. Everybody expected them to lose, including their own cricket board!

The situation was crystal clear for Darren Sammy. Win the World T20 and put West Indies cricket back on the map. Although this message was not written down and given to him, he knew he had a job to do. It was indeed Mission: Impossible for the Windies. Cricket in the West Indies is not just a sport. Cricket in the Caribbean was a major part of West Indies history. They had overthrown British colonialism through cricket. They had given Caribbean people hope through cricket. It was all to play for.

By not playing a specialist fast bowler, Darren Sammy sent out a stern message. They were not going to be trampled this time. The depth in batting was something strange. However, it was also borderline insanity. Jerome Taylor, the best West Indies pacer in the squad was confined to the bench. Carlos Brathwaite, who had been brought in as a replacement, was the leader of a feeble bowling attack. It was a hit or miss situation. But then again, as mentioned earlier, it was quite literally ‘balls to the wall’.

Another interesting yet immensely important aspect was the use of leg-break spinner Samuel Badree. The latter came into the World T20 with a massive reputation. It was quite obvious, he was the no.1 in the ICC rankings. He doesn’t spin the ball that much and he bowls the ball short of a good length. He calls himself a leg-break bowler, there isn’t anything leg-breaking about him. He is also 35. Despite all this, he is the best bowler in the world.

You don’t just walk into the ICC offices and ask them for the number 1 ranking. Badree is a bowler who doesn’t have variations in his kitty, but someone who relies on subtle variations. Anil Kumble-rescue. However, part of the reason he is number one in the World is the way he is used by Darren Sammy. The West Indies skipper has seldom tossed the ball to Badree after the tenth over. In addition, Badree has never bowled after the 15^th over. The amazing performance in powerplays and the incredible economy rate.

Needless to say, the World T20 saw a complete performance from the West Indies. The World T20 win, despite casting doubts over the Test cricket status has given the West Indies people hope. Despite that, the West Indies greats of yesteryear would be proud of what the current generation has achieved. The late Bob Marley would certainly be proud of what he is watching. His song, ‘Get up Stand up’ epitomizes the revival of West Indies cricket and as things stand at the moment, Darren Sammy and the West Indies certainly haven’t given up the fight. Victories in the U19 World Cup and the Women’s World T20 has now seen the Windies cross an impregnable threshold. This is the first time in their history that they hold all three cups at the same time. A sweet feeling innit?

“Get up, Stand up!

Stand up for your rights!

Get up stand up!

Don’t give up the fight!”

(Bob Marley)