Cricket Teams of the World – West Indies
By Sunil Sarpal
Posting this historical article a day after in the INDIA vs West Indies, Women’s T20 World Cup match, India beat West Indies by 6 wickets!
That is the see-saw battle of this game. That’s what makes it so interesting. There came a phase in the history of men’s cricket when all the cricket playing nations boasted of 2-3 genuinely quick and skillful bowlers in their line up. The very sight of these bowlers was intimidating because they were possessing such a variety in their repertoire which even the most accomplished batsmen could not withstand. It took the game of cricket to altogether different level. These quickies were always on the throat of the batsman so that the hapless batsman had no respite. The 6 ft plus barging in from the boundary line with red cherry in hand can lead to shiver down the spine of a batsman. How can a batsman face, put aside, withstand, barrage of bouncers one after the other. This was some sort of suicide type of cricket facing these quickies with 150 plus speed.
West Indies had an unbelievable line-up consisting of
Malcom Marshal
Joel Garner
Any Roberts
Michael Holding
Croft etc. etc.
Pakistan’s challenge rests with Cap. Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, and Waqar Younis.
Australia had the fearsome duo of Deniss Lillee and Jeffery Thompson.
England spearheads were Ian Botham and Wills.
New Zealand had the services of undisputed talented Sir Richard Hadlee and Chatfield.
India too had Kapil Dev and Manoj Prabhakar.
When we talk of competition, West Indies were undisputed champs, head and shoulders above in pace and variations. On the face of their battery of fast bowlers, other teams were found just chockers. They ruled the cricket world like roaring lions and their roar was deafning and debilitating for the opposition. West Indies Team was studded with charismatic individuals either with bat or ball. Their line-up challenged all the teams in their own den and humiliated them like never before. They made mockery of opposition on the field of cricket and tasted them dust.
The line-up of West Indies team was :-
GORDAN GRINIDGES, DESMOND HAYNES, VIV RICHARDS, CLIVE LLOYD (C) , LARRY GOMES (OR ALWIN KALICHARAN), JEFFERY DUJON, ANDY ROBERTS, MICHAEL HOLDING, MALCOM MARSHAL, JOEL GARNER, GIBBS AND CROFT.
They were all stars in their chosen field. Perhaps in the history of cricket, such a combination of batsmen and bowlers never got together in unison.
It was their captain Clive Lloyd who for the first time in the history of cricket introduced 4-pronged fast bowling attack. It paid rich divident to West Indies so that they ruled the world over a decade or so.
Perhaps cricket lovers do not add value to this because they may not be witness to mayhem created by West Indies on field.