Their long history of inconsistency, amply exemplified by their two most recent matches, moderates the immediate temptation to proclaim Tuesday’s emphatic victory over Pakistan in the opening match of the World Cup as the preface to the championship itself.
It was, all the same, a performance of considerable significance for it was centred, not on the seasoned campaigners accustomed to such momentous occasions, but on the eager young brigade.
Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Brian Lara, a quartet now with 769 ODIs and 10 World Cups between them, contributed 107 runs to the modest total of 241 for nine. Gayle’s usually necessary off-spin wasn’t required for a single over.
Instead, the decisive runs, wickets, tight overs, brilliance in the field and infectious enthusiasm came from players all with fewer than 100 such matches to their names. The packed, noisy stands at the enhanced Sabina caught the vibes and complemented their heroes.
The discipline and concentration was such when defending a moderate total that only four extras were conceded – two leg-byes, two wides and not a single no-ball. It was as revealing a statistic as any for the day.
Captain Lara spelled out their responsibility, and their opportunity, to the new generation prior to the match. The all-out 85 against India in the warm-up four days earlier had clearly not created disgust among the fans alone.
“This is an opportuni-ty
