The West Indians have confounded their critics, haven’t they? There were many who had predicted on the basis of their recent performances in the Tests against England that they would not make much of an impression. But what these people did not consider is that Brian Lara’s side hasn’t done too badly in limited-overs internationals, and the ICC Champions Trophy is very much a limited-overs tournament.
The resurgence of the Windies notwithstanding, I had expected Pakistan’s superior firepower in the bowling department to take their team through to the final. Inzamam would be certainly ruing his decision to bat first, and I suppose that is something he will have to live with for some time.
The talented Pakistani bowlers would have probably exploited the conditions as well as the West Indians. Not many teams have managed to defend a target of 132 in limited-overs cricket, and the West Indies strolled to an easy win. The only worrying factor for them would be the knock that their captain got from Shoaib Akhtar. But he should be all right for the final, one of the biggest games the West Indies have been involved in, in recent times.
I see many similarities between the current West Indies team and the Australian outfit of the mid-80s. That Australian team had been struggling in Test cricket, and they then defied expectations to win the World Cup in 1987. The boys didn’t look back after that, and went on to do well in Test cricket as well.
Thus, the team used a triumph in limited-overs cricket to begin its comeback trail in the longer version of the game, and if the West Indies win the final, who knows, they might end up doing exactly that. Their youngsters will gain in confidence and move on to do better things in Test cricket.
On Saturday, the West Indians will be up against a boisterous home crowd, who will cheer every run that their team scores and every wicket that it takes. There should be a fair number of West Indian supporters as well, for the Oval has traditionally been a ‘home ground’ of sorts for the men from the Caribbean.
England have a well-integrated unit and they will be pumped up after their win over the Australians, but they cannot afford to take the West Indies lightly. They may have steamrolled the West Indies in Test cricket not very long ago, but The One-Day Internationals between the two teams were close affairs. It will of course be great for West Indian cricket if their team lifts the trophy.
Having said that, I believe England will start as favorites. My head is with them, but my heart is with the West Indies!
