Cricket is a British sport but at one point, the West Indies enraged the mighty Englishmen. They mastered and dominated the game, lifting the ICC World Cup in 1975 and 1979. The ICC World Twenty20 final to be played between the two teams here at the Eden Gardens on Sunday is a toast to the golden years of limited overs cricket — from the period involving Clive Lloyd to Graham Gooch.
Both England and West Indies tasted wins in 2010 and 2012 World T20 editions respectively but due to their inconsistency and unpredictability, they could never earn the ‘favourites’ tag. But now, the squads look balanced.
However, compared to the West Indies, none of the English players had any prior experience of playing in India. Barring skipper Eoin Morgan and opener Alex Hales, none have known IPL — the breeding ground for most T20 players. On the other hand, one can say that the Caribbeans have adapted, read the conditions well due to their familiarity with the wickets here.
Having come this far, Morgan is confident of dropping the curtains with a bang. The tournament — which had the ingredients of a script filled with turnarounds and upsets — could also bring about a renaissance moment in the cash-strapped West Indies cricket.
Jason Roy constructed England’s road to the final smashing a 44-ball 78 against New Zealand who — since then — were unbeaten. Roy — the South African-born cricketer — turned out to be a revelation and pundits are already comparing him to Kevin Pietersen —England’s hero in 2010 World T20 triumph under Paul Collingwood’s leadership. In the marathon run chase against South Africa (230) in the group stage, it was again Roy who set the stage with a 21-ball 43 before Joe Root finished the proceedings.
On the other hand, Lendl Simmons flew in as a wild card entrant and dashed India’s hopes. Simmons — who struck six half-centuries for Mumbai Indians in the last IPL season —continued his riot at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. He remained unbeaten on 82 off 51 balls.
Chris Gayle being the favourite and stealing the limelight is an advantage for the Caribbeans. It releases the pressure off the remaining match-winners in the dugout.
Coincidentally, Gayle started the tournament with a hundred against England but missed out against India the other night. He will be keen to make amends.
So far, there are no injury concerns in both camps. But England could make one change if the grass on the pitch disappears at the eleventh hour. Morgan hinted at playing Liam Dawson — who, so far, has appeared only in a warm-up match. He bowls slow left-arm orthodox and is also a handy batsman.
Yorker specialist Chris Jordan, who took a four-for against Sri Lanka, could be effective in the death overs.
For West Indies, leggie Samuel Badree remains the go-to man. He was the most economical bowler (1/26) against India. Though for a losing cause, Badree picked up three wickets against Afghanistan as well. The Eden turf, known for its whimsical behaviour, could be his muse.
