Two weeks later I am still sweating with the initial nervousness and horror and still dancing in the final exultation of our victory in the World Cup.
I was in abject despair at the start. Fearful that we were being thrashed and not wanting to witness a humiliation, I nearly turned off the television. Not a single run scored off the bat in the first 16 deliveries.14 for 2 at the end of the six over Powerplay. The charismatic difference-maker Chris Gayle gone. One boundary scored in the first 11 overs and the score a lamentable 38 for 2. Quite impossible to come back from that.
Marlon Samuels stood on the burning deck of a rapidly sinking ship and he extinguished the flames and he mended the holes below the water-line and he miraculously righted the ship. I could hardly believe my eyes as I watched the transformation. I punched the cushions and shouted for joy with every astonishing six hit. The blood of relief and pride coursed through the veins. Marlon Samuels was playing what can be described, given the occasion, as the best Twenty/20 innings ever played.
Marlon Samuels decided to save the day by attacking Sri Lanka’s ace bowler, Lasith Malinga, arguably the most effective bowler in the history of 20/20 cricket. In the 13th over he hit Malinga for three glorious sixes – a nonchalant flick over deep mid-wicket, a lovely lofted drive over long-on and, to cap the artistry and power, a mighty and beautiful hit over extra-cover.
Ah, the thrill of seeing the arc of the ball high in the sky each hit and the helpless look of the fielders following the triumphant trajectory! How sweet the game of cricket is at such moments!
Every six was a celebration. But it was still only 69 for 2 and soon Bravo and Russell were dismissed through bad decisions by, of all people, Simon Taufel, the best umpire in cricket. And mighty hitter Kieron Pollard also perished. A decisive defeat still stared us in the face.
Samuels was not dismayed. In between the dismissals he took apart Jeevan Mendis and facing Malinga again sweetly hit him for a four and a six. Malinga then tried to sling down one of his celebrated yorkers, it dropped on a length and – hosanna in the highest – Samuels smote a towering six onto the roof of the stadium, the longest six of the whole tournament. With that six Samuels had hit the great Malinga for 5 sixes and 1 four in eight balls. A cameo which will live in the history of the game.
And with that last majestic blow West Indian pride was restored and the possibility of a miracle began to dawn. This had come about because Samuels scored 78 in 56 balls, 52 off the last 19, an innings which, I repeat, is the finest ever played in Twenty/20 cricket not only because of its intrinsic worth best because of its overwhelming influence on the result of a World Cup final.
Yet when Samuels got out the score was only 108 in the 18th over. Captain Darren Sammy stepped up. Many, including myself, have criticized him as not worth his place in the team. But he has been a steadfast, increasingly effective leader of a fit, enthusiastic and patriotic team and now he battled every inch of the way to the end, running hard to make singles into twos, edging and clobbering boundaries, until a just decent but still very vulnerable score of 137 was achieved.
As Sri Lanka came out to bat I watched with nervous hope but did not honestly believe we could win, especially given the fact that Sri Lanka had scored more than that, losing only one wicket, in beating us easily not a week before in a preliminary match.
But then in the second over Rampaul’s first ball – the ball of the tournament they called it – swung in, jagged back off the pitch and clean bowled Dilshan neck and crop. After that nerves cramped and constricted all the Sri Lankan batsmen and every single West Indian played with élan and fierce determination and wonderful team spirit. Sunil Narine bowled beautifully and took 3 wickets.
Samuels took 1 for 15 in four parsimonious overs. Ramdin pelted down the stumps at the bowler’s end for an important run out. Sammy, again, who had taken 2 for 125 in 15 overs in the tournament so far, now took 2 for 6 in two overs. Everyone seemed energised and inspired. It was marvelous to see. When Rampaul faltered in one over Gayle hugged him around the shoulders and he got through it.
What a glorious victory! Surely the greatest come-back-from-behind victory in World Cup history. And in the end how uplifting and joyful to see the sheer happiness and shared, excited pride of the triumphant team. They demonstrated again that no one knows how to celebrate like West Indians – and no one better at it than Christopher Gayle!
I am not a lover of 20/20 cricket (Samuels himself when interviewed after the match said that Test cricket remained for him the summit of the sport and the main object of his ambitions).
Most international 20/20 matches are instantly forgettable and forgotten. Hundreds and hundreds of them – who cares? As the eccentric and excellent Cricket Writer, Andy Zaltzman, has written about franchise-based T20 matches, they are “As emotionally engaging as reading a telephone directory in a darkened shed”.
But the outstanding exception is the Twenty/20 World Cup competition every two years (Another exception would be 20/20 cricket in the Olympics which should appropriately be admitted as an Olympic sport in 2020). So this victory certainly mattered and the manner of how it was won from 30 lengths behind in the back stretch makes this Final match unique in cricketing annals.
And, most memorable in what was already sufficiently remarkable, stands Marlon Samuels and his masterpiece.
