While the international and national media have understandably been filled with stories and commentary on the vitally important outcome of the USA presidential and Congressional elections, the West Indies cricket team has quietly but with much authority won the One Day International (ODI) series (2-1) against England, which is three positions above it in the ICC’s ODI rankings.
Having easily won the first of the ODIs, the WI slipped into the all-too-familiar mediocrity with a poor showing in the second game. Batting first and led by captain Shai Hope, the West Indian men scored a quite worthy 328 runs. However, the bowling lacked penetration, direction, and consistency, which allowed the English batsmen to easily gain the runs with three overs to spare.
The pattern that has become all too familiar of the West Indians fading into defeat after a promising start could have been expected, and long-suffering West Indian fans would see their team wilt under growing pressure and hand the series to England.
Instead, Hope and his batsmen turned up the steam on England and cruised to victory in the final game by easily overhauling the 264-run challenge. The 200-plus run partnership between Brandon King and Keacy Carty won the game for the Windies.
For Carty, it’s potential that has been made real. From the first ball, he received to the last, which he casually stroked through the covers to signal victory, the young man, the first West Indian player to emerge from Sint Maarten, an autonomous country associated with the Kingdom of the Netherlands, played as if he belonged in the very top class of international cricket.
King, who often got into the 60s and 70s, and has needlessly given his hand away, on the day added to his previous two centuries in the one-day format with typical fluent and attractive driving through the off-side.
What was very rewarding to experience was the manner in which the two batsmen went about the task of overhauling the 264 target with assured stroke play guided by common sense batting without rash shots designed to win the game with two or three big sixes.
The bowling and fielding were quite adequate; the opening bowlers reduced the English batting team to 24 for four and 94 for five before a fightback by the batsmen landed them at a total of 263 for eight wickets.
Relatively new paceman Matthew Forde got a three-wicket haul, with Romario Shepherd and Alzarri Joseph getting two each. The one sad note of the otherwise disciplined performance on the field was the completely uncalled-for attitude of lead pacer Joseph’s prolonged remonstrating with his captain, Shai Hope when he refused to give Joseph a fielding change.
Joseph continued to protest and eventually left the field at the end of an over. Joseph, as vice-captain and a very experienced player in all formats for the West Indies, should understand that the captain has the ultimate responsibility and say on the field for all decisions made.
And while Joseph is entitled to feel momentary annoyance, he cannot carry it into a tantrum. The upcoming three T20s against England afford the West Indies the opportunity, shorn of a few of its best players, to carry the ODI form and mental attitude into the format in which it performs best.
