The recent victory of the West Indies cricket team against India in the T20 World Cup semifinal reminded us of former West Indies greats like Clive Lloyd. Despite an early loss of the key player, Chris Gayle, young guys worked hard to achieve a massive total of 192 runs. Simmons and Russel displayed great batting skills against the Indian spin magic. Simmons scored 82 in just 52 balls with five sixes and seven boundaries. The women's cricket team of West Indies also proved their mettle.
West Indies ruled the cricket grounds for almost 25 years and won two consecutive World Cups in 1975 and 1979. No one can forget the fast bowling of Michael Holding, Andy Roberts and Joel Garner and the spin magic of Lawrence Gibbs. The super batting of Vivian Richards and Brian Lara is also etched in the minds of cricket buffs.
However, the West Indies team’s downfall began soon after these top players retired. Now after 35 years, the team is trying hard to work hard and restore its past glory.
Experts had ranked West Indies seventh in the recent T20 World Cup, but the team's performance was remarkable, especially against South Africa, India and Sri Lanka. Credit goes to Chris Gayle and other young players who performed very well under pressure. Hope this unexpected victory revives the super era of the West Indies cricket team. — Khawaja Umer Farooq, By e-mail
West Indies in good form again
