Notwithstanding his recent indiscretions, Chris Gayle’s match-winning, 47-ball century with 11 sixes, in West Indies’ first match against England in the ICC World T20 championship in Mumbai on Wednesday, was an undoubted crowd-pleaser and an emphatic reminder that he is still one of the most destructive batsmen in international T20 cricket, if not the master of the format. This latest demonstration of the power of the ‘Gayle-force’ has also given rise to West Indian optimism that the regional team can go all the way in the tournament.
But, notwithstanding the blistering brilliance of Gayle’s innings, full credit must go to Marlon Samuels for kick-starting the West Indies’ run chase during the Powerplay after opener Johnson Charles had fallen for a duck, providing much-needed momentum with an electrifying 37 off 27 balls.
And, notwithstanding the capacity of the supremely talented but serially underachieving Samuels to frustrate his admirers and to annoy his detractors with his sometimes seemingly lackadaisical approach to the game, his innings was a welcome return to form. It was, also, hopefully, a sign of renewed intent. More importantly, in a batting line-up packed with power-hitting allrounders, he is the only genuine specialist middle-order batsman and he will in all likelihood be required to play innings of increasing substance, if the West Indies are to win the 2016 T20 World Cup.
Indeed, notwithstanding the ability of the West Indies team as a whole to disappoint their long-suffering but loyal followers, their convincing six-wicket defeat of England, with 11 balls to spare, was the type of performance that immediately gave heart to their fans. Typically, practically everyone who saw Wednesday’s display now believes that the second-ranked favourites – perhaps even the odds-on favourites given the way India’s batting stars were embarrassed by New Zealand in their opening game – could actually restore some of the region’s cricketing pride with a second World T20 crown to add to their 2012 triumph.
Notwithstanding the widely-held belief that T20 success, for the West Indies, is actually detrimental to the consolidation of basic cricketing technique and the development of the skills and temperament necessary to be at least competitive in the longer formats (One Day Internationals and Test matches) and, by extension, threatens the very sustainability of the game in the region, it is difficult to resist the counterview that winning the World T20 trophy is just what West Indies cricket needs after years of prolonged decline, embarrassment and farce.
That is to say, notwithstanding the dispiriting feeling that most current West Indies cricketers are no longer capable of the discipline and sustained excellence necessary for the West Indies to regain their place in the top tier of Test-playing nations; that, as Trinidadian cricket historian and writer Vaneisa Baksh said some years ago, “in Test cricket, West Indies is a spent force” and “West Indies cricket today suffers from weakness of character” – with all that the latter statement implies for our societies as a whole – ultimate success in this World T20, with its fast-paced intensity and immediate punishment of even the slightest errors on the field, would be ample proof of strength of character and, we daresay, another platform from which to launch the long climb back to the top in all forms of cricket.
For, notwithstanding the continuing crisis engulfing West Indies cricket, arising from the almost criminal ineptness of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the mercenary attitudes of some of the players themselves, West Indies cricket remains, as recognised by CARICOM leaders, a powerful symbol of regional unity and pride, even if both have been somewhat diminished in recent years.
Thus, notwithstanding the fact that the WICB will attribute any success at the World T20 to their stewardship of the regional game, any such success would be a fillip to the morale of the people of our region, already reeling from a variety of crises affecting their social and economic wellbeing. We Caribbean people can always do with a timely reminder that we can and must free ourselves from the burden of our history, that we can compete on the global stage and that we can be world beaters. Cricket and sport in general can provide that inspiration. Let the men in maroon know that we are firmly behind them.