Just before the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup knockout round began, England’s Mark Nicholas dismissed the West Indies as no-hopers on the grounds that West Indians ‘have no brains’. It is a view that hardly flatters the other teams; the record shows that Daren Sammy’s WI went on to win …
Read More »T2021 W/C: Tino Singh names nine batsmen, including Gayle and Hetmyer, in his dream WI XI
“[…] I strongly feel the under-rated off-spin of the ‘Universe Boss’ will be a back-up weapon and will work in WI’ favour. “I am bold enough to predict that [Obed] McCoy will emerge as one of the leading wicket-takers in the tournament. He is one of the most improved bowlers …
Read More »T2021 W/C: F Warner names Narine, Hetmyer, Allen and Walsh in his dream WI XI
“[…] I am going to play chief chef and put together 18 ingredients that should make a mouth-watering dish come 17 October. My major challenge is whether I should include, for different reasons, Christopher Gayle and Sunil Narine: one is definitely available but should I? “If both are available, would …
Read More »CPL 19: Pollard leads Trinbago Knight Riders to victory over SKN Patriots in opener
Prodigal son, Kieron Pollard, captained the Trinbago Knight Riders to a tense victory on debut with fellow debutant Jimmy Neesham, producing the all-round goods to deny the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the Caribbean Premier League 2019 opener at the Queen’s Park Oval on Wednesday. Patriots won the toss …
Read More »Unfashionable WI passion: Fabian tactics, big Pyrrhic defeats and Jason ah go go nuts!
Between the end of the World Cup in the Caribbean and Ricky Skerritt’s welcome ouster of Dave Cameron in March, I have rarely got excited about the outcome of a West Indies cricket match. I did get genuinely worked up about Darren Sammy’s side’s 2012 T20 World Cup victory and …
Read More »W/Cup addict comments: Whither Windies: On DJ Bravo, Brathwaite, Holder and the “Universe Boss”
In a letter to the Wired868 editor last week, AJ writes that “the problems go way beyond the on-the-field representatives.” Hard to disagree, no? “Surely,” he ends, “those responsible for developing the strategy and hand-picking the players that produced these excruciating displays must also take responsibility for the resulting pain …
Read More »None so blind; flawed World Cup strategy makes WI look like amateurs
“World Cup front-runners like England and New Zealand have counterbalanced their explosive hitters, Jos Buttler and Martin Guptill, for example, with conventional, steady-headed players like Joe Root and Kane Williamson. They know that batting out the full 50 overs is key to victory. “The West Indies team management does not. …
Read More »W/Cup addict comments: Sparrow’s Slave, Brathwaite’s brilliance and fool’s gold
Images drawn from sport populate my sexagenarian head. Of most recent vintage is the one of Carlos Brathwaite in mid-pitch at Old Trafford on Saturday temporarily bent over in a sobbing, regret-filled heap. Trying for the six which would have given Jason Holder’s team a truly incredible, come-from-behind victory by …
Read More »Holder misleads West Indies and Aussies escape with a win
When the Jason Holder-led West Indians took on Australia in Nottingham yesterday, the five-times World Cup winners emerged victorious by a margin of 15 runs. Recovering from 58 for 4 and then 79 for 5, Aaron Finch’s Aussies went on to post a challenging 288. In reply, the West Indies …
Read More »Best sees WI World Cup squad as not looking world-class but asks: Who we go put?
Twok! Twok! Twok! Twok! Four remarkable, meaty blows that sent Ben Stokes’ balls sailing over the boundary and unexpectedly won the 2016 T20 World Cup for West Indies. So, heeding Ian Bishop’s order, I have remembered the name Carlos Brathwaite. Likewise, clearly, the selectors. Three years after that unforgettable April …
Read More »CPL 18: TKR bludgeoned again; Bravo takes responsibility after SKN Patriots win
In a matter of 24 hours, the Queen’s Park Oval was host to three scores of over 200 runs in the CPL—and two Trinbago Knight Riders defeats. Friday night belonged to Jamaica Tallawahs captain Andre Russell’s superhuman innings of an unbeaten 121, which propelled the Tallawahs to an unlikely triump. …
Read More »CPL 17: Cooper gets a lover, Pollard gets a blank as TKR seal title number two
“Aye, Cooper, ah love yuh,” he shouted (Yes, he! No mistake! An older, balding gentleman whose gait suggested a certain unsteadiness that was perhaps liquid-provoked). “TKR is the greatest side in the world.” He was dressed in a Trinbago Knight Riders tee-shirt and waving a red bandanna energetically to and …
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