West Indies renaissance heartening for cricket

If Indians think their cricket team should do well in the shortest format, it is because they were champions of the inaugural World T20 and they have the most robust T20 global competition — the Indian Premier League (IPL).

India did not look the champion side when they lost to New Zealand by 80 runs in the first of the three-match series on Wednesday. The disappointment is more because it came after they won ODI series in Australia and New Zealand. The Indians were outplayed in all departments. Once skipper Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan were dismissed, their game was up. But they have two more games to come back, like they did in Australia after losing the first ODI.

While the Indians were struggling, the West Indies, known for their excellence in the T20 format, believe that their cricket is going through a period of renaissance and they see their series win against England last week a major pointer to it.

For 25 years after their 1979 World Cup triumph, the West Indies did not win a major ICC trophy till the Champions Trophy in 2004. Then they found the shortest format to be of their liking as they won the World Cup in 2012 and 2016.

The mushrooming of global T20 leagues has seen many talented West Indians playing in them. They have been having long drawn-out battles with the authorities over match fees, bonuses and compensation for forgoing the contract money with the professional leagues to represent the country in international cricket.

Actually, their decline started before the T20s became a hit. It began at the advent of the new millennium and their board thought by changing captains, their luck could change as the team saw 11 captains in the next decade. The explanation was that young players were not interested in Tests and moved to basketball, football and track and field.

What the West Indies team missed was their feared fast bowlers. The slide began when Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose were finishing their careers. They played with pacers, but could not rattle batsmen like their predecessors.

Against England they played four pacers — Kemar Roach, Shanon Gabriel, Alzarri Joseph and skipper Jason Holder. However, it was part-time off-spinner Roston Chase, who bowled them to win in the first Test, taking eight wickets in the second innings. England were bowled out for 77 in the first innings and lost by 381 runs after another batting collapse in the second innings. England suddenly lost the heart to fight as they allowed Holder to get a double ton and stumper Shane Dowrich a hundred from 61 for five and 120 for six.

The West Indies fast bowlers were unplayable in the second Test. They took all 20 to force a 10-wicket victory. Their showing in the two Tests should bring the crowds back to the stadiums singing and dancing.
Can the team maintain the momentum in the absence of their captain who has been suspended for the third Test for slow over rate? Their board president Dave Cameron sees it as a crippling blow and wonders whether such action is good for the game when they are looking for a clean sweep, the first since 1986.

This is a remarkable turnaround for a side that failed to qualify for the 2017 Champions Trophy and get a direct entry to the 2019 World Cup. The churning in cricket world is on. (The writer is a veteran commentator and views expressed are personal. He can be reached at sveturi@gmail.com)