Chance for Sammy & Co to revive Caribbean fortunes

Chance for Sammy & Co to revive Caribbean fortunes

In terms of their approach to the game and the way they carry themselves on the field, the 2012 T20 World Cup batch of Caribbeans resemble those carefree entertainers that preceded the Clive Lloyd era. Though Darren Sa­m­my is no Lloyd to galvanise a set of flamboyant but disparate bunch into a world-beati­ng side, he has been the centr­ifugal force behind West Ind­ies’ resurgence.

Perhaps, few other words have done their rounds in the corridors of West Indian cric­ket as “revival”. And almost every time uttered with a hint of pain at the apparent mayhem and a glint of pride at wh­at once they were. Either way, attempts at revival cla­n­ked hollow. Neither the Laras nor the Chanderpauls could instigate one.

This isn’t to suggest the We­st Indies are re-tracing the lost footsteps to glory, but just that they are as capable a unit as any in the shortest format.

There are batsmen capable of spasmodic belligerence, though they can’t sustain the same in longer version. There are bowlers who can tie the op­position down with their va­ri­ations, but lack the guile and craft to bowl out oppositi­on twice in a match.

Hence, while they are beaten blue in every other format, they are among the favourites for the T20 World Cup. Few would disagree. Fewer would on their balance. On any given day, they can field as many as eight batsmen and as many bowlers. Even their number 9 batsman Ravi Rampaul is a robust hitter. Marlon Samuels can be the binding force, tho­ugh Chris Gayle more often than not takes the opposition by force. Most have strike rates that hover around the 150 mark. And all but wicket-keeper Dinesh Ramdin and Johnson Charles can roll their arm over.

They can choose anyone fr­om Dwayne Bravo, Darren Sammy, Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell in compliance with the situation. If Lloyd us­hered in the invincible dyna­sty banishing spinners from his squad, Sammy has at his disp­osal a spin firmament fit en­ough to feature in all-time Un­orthodox XI.

Marlon Samuels is most conventional, while Gayle is the typical limited-over spinner. Sunil Narine has enough mystery in his bowling while Ba­dree isn’t the conventional big-spinning leggie. And they are spectacularly backed by their agile fielders with digits the size of shafts to boot their speed that could out-speed all but their select Jamaican co­untrymen.

Most significantly, they do­n’t seem torn by egos.

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