West Indies: Individual Brilliance Overflowing

Yesterday I was watching West Indies vs New Zealand ODI. When I had tuned in, New zealand were 50-4 in 17 overs. Andre Russell had taken 3, and Sunil Narine, 1. Russell finally ended up with 4 wickets and Narine ended with jaw-dropping figures of 10-2-26-2. Then Gayle and Dwayne Smith came to bat and smashed the ball to all parts of the ground and the match was over within 25 overs

This got me thinking, that West Indies were never short of individual brilliance. We have to start with one of the greatest all-rounders ever, Sir Garfield Sobers, with over 8000 runs and 235 wickets. Then came the dominating era of 1975- to mid 1980s . They had an intimidating batting line up consisting of:

Desmond HaynesGordon GreenidgeViv RichardsClive Llyod

The bowling line up consisted of four of the most fearsome bowlers to play in that era:

Michael HoldingAndy RobertMalcolm MarshallJoel Garner

I can personally say that any one of these 8 players would have been a match-winner on their own, on their given day.

Then came the the two decades when West Indies cricket almost seemed lost. Yet, there were players like Brian Lara, Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh. They were like the shining beacons in the ruins, giving hope to the supporters of West Indian cricket. A few players showed great promise but were somehow lost , like Wavell Hinds, Ricardo Powell, a few years later Tino Best, Fidel Edwards, Kemar Roach.

The current line up, has players you’d pay a fortune to watch:

Chris Gayle: This man needs no introduction, especially not the Indian audience. He might not be a purist’s delight, but he intimidates opposition bowlers like no one else in this world. His innings in the recently concluded IPL were simply breathtaking and almost bordering on surreal.

Dwayne Bravo: A brilliant all-rounder, an awesome athlete and a brilliant fielder. When he’s on song while batting, there are a few more players who are as pleasing to the eye. I still remember his six-off-a-single-foot over the covers against the Mumbai Indians, that has Calypso magic written all over it.

Kieron Pollard: Well, he does flatter to deceive, but he has a lot of potential none the less. He needs to be a little more consistent in his batting, however, his fielding efforts are beyond doubt.

Sunil Narine: The find of this years IPL was probably the best bowler on display. His guile and variations had even the great Sachin Tendulkar searching.

Their contribution to West Indies success in the recent years however, is a completely different story altogether. West Indian cricket has always been different, different in a very exciting way.