The Avengers - Return of the West Indies?

When you assemble a group of superheroes such as the Iron-Man, Hulk, Captain America and Thor, you can be almost certain that no force can stand in your way but as we saw in the movie, it isn’t always the case. The reason was they didn’t gel together because of clashing egos and fought independently instead of a well-oiled unit. However, once they had each other’s back, there was no stopping them and the Avengers were invincible. The same has been the case with West Indian cricket for more than two decades now. Over the last twenty years, we have seen some of the finest talent emerge in the Caribbean, from the legendary Brian Lara to the most recent sensation, Sunil Narine, yet victories and trophies seem rare and elusive.

The state of West Indian cricket is in dire straits but this year’s IPL shows a completely different picture. The performances of the men from the Caribbean stood out in every department. Chris Gayle walked away with the “Orange Cap” for the second time in a row with batting rendering bowlers speechless. His bat is no less than the hammer of Thor and after being recalled to the national side, Gayle’s presence will be vital to the revival of cricket in his country. The 31 year old Jamaican will have to take responsibility upon his shoulders and avoid more disputes with the Board.

The mysterious Narine is the currently the most exciting prospect in world cricket and was Gayle’s successor to the Player of the Season in IPL 5. His deliveries are still undecipherable, even managing to bamboozle Tendulkar, making a mess of the “Little Master’s” stumps. Having played only 4 ODIs and taken 14 wickets, the 24 year old lad from Trinidad is about to make his test debut. Is he to follow in the footsteps of the spin legends, Warne, Murlitharan, and Kumble or fizzle out like an Ajanta Mendis once batsmen figure out how to read him?

The Hulk of this ensemble is the volatile, unpredictable but explosive and entertaining Kieron Pollard. What this 6 foot 5 inch giant lacks in technicality, he makes up for in raw strength and brutal force. On his day, there is no boundary too big and no bowler too good, he has aptly justified his high price tag in the IPL. Pollard has however not lived up to his expectations for the national side in either of the shorter formats. Like Gayle, Pollard too has to mature as a cricketer and understand the value of his wicket. An athletic all-rounder of his quality is an X-factor to any line-up. Though Pollard is not yet ready for Test cricket, he is just 25 and has years of cricket ahead of him and will have to be a consistent game-changer in order to be an influential member of a dominant Windies side.

The absence of Dwayne Bravo from the Test for the last two years has been a puzzler. Agreed he has a weak ankle but how long will it take to heal? It has been forever since West Indies won their last test match and still more than happy to go on tours and get humiliated without their veteran all-rounder, who played an extremely significant role in Chennai’s campaign to the finals in this year’s IPL. Runs were scored consistently at a terrific strike rate, wickets pouched at crucial moments and fielding, oh the fielding! There was no catch the Caribbean Superman let go off. It is time for the selectors to allow him a return to the Test arena and take with him the good form he has found in the IPL.

Stepping in for Mitchel Johnson for the Mumbai Indians at the last minute, Dwayne Smith immediately brought back Mumbai from the dead against Chennai in a thriller of a finish. He also prospered when sent to open the batting showing that he is likely to make an impact, no matter at which position he has been sent in to bat. Marlon Samuels too made some memorable performances for the Pune Warriors, being a major factor behind the little success they had in the beginning stages of the competition. Kevon Cooper, just 23 years of age, had a promising start before injury ruled him out of the tournament in just 6 games.

These are just the IPL success stories, in reality the Caribbean is brimming with talent. There is no dearth of skillful youngsters in the form of Darren Bravo, Adrian Barath, Kieran Powell, Devandra Bishoo and many others. The problem in the past has been that youngsters have not been mentored correctly by the management and veterans of the side. This is the primary reason behind the stagnation of the quality of the West Indian cricket despite having remarkable individuals. It must be ensured that Gayle, Sammy, Dwayne Bravo and the other seniors groom the youngsters and become good role-models. Another reason is the West Indian Cricket Board (WICB) has been having far too many disputes with its players (second only to Pakistan). WICB has to back its players and the players in return have to show respect and play with the highest level of commitment for their country. If West Indian cricket has learnt from its mistakes in the past we could see a second era of Caribbean domination a few years down the line or at least, a highly competitive Windies side.