West Indies Rising - The Caribbean Kings’ journey to World Twenty20 glory [Part 4]
Continued from Part 3 …
Meanwhile, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760. Having lost to Sri Lanka in the warm-ups and the Super Eights, the
West Indies had their work cut out for them, while the host team was dealing with the enormous pressure of playing for World T20 victory in front of a frenzied home crowd.
However, the Windies displayed little, if any, nerves prior to the final. Skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DJG-Sammy-c1382 presented a calm and confident image to the world, while Gayle, true to his spirit, apologised to the Sri Lankan fans in advance, assuring them the 2012 World
T20 cup belonged to the West Indies, and the final would culminate in him victoriously dancing Gangnam style at the R Premadasa.
October 7 saw both teams meeting for what turned out to be a thrilling finale to the 2012 World T20. Luck favoured the Windies from the start as they won the toss and chose to bat first - the team then followed up with some stellar performances.
Sri Lanka appeared to have the upper hand initially, as Charles (0) and Gayle (3) were both dismissed for paltry scores. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Marlon-Nathaniel-Samuels-c74804, who stood firm at the crease
as wickets fell all around him, and went on to score a crucial 78 off 56 which saved the innings for his team and got them back on track. In the process, Samuels completely destroyed http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SL-Malinga-c2540, who went for a total of 54 runs in 4 overs – shocking figures,
by any standard.
Aided by further contributions from http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DJ-Bravo-c1379 (19) and skipper Sammy (26), the Windies posted a final total of 137 – respectable, considering the poor performances of some of their batsmen, but hardly a daunting target for the Sri Lankans.
However, the home team found themselves unequal to the chase, and Narine (3/9) and Sammy (2/6), aided by Rampaul (1/31), Samuels (1/15), and Badree (1/24), joined forces to see their team through. Rampaul set the tone with the dismissal of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/TM-Dilshan-c2691
on duck in the second over, and from there onwards, it was a downhill slide for the host team. Only skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/KMDN-Kulasekara-c1802 (26) managed double-digit scores. The rest fell without a fight, and the final
dismissal of Malinga at the hands of Narine in the 19th over saw the Lankan Lions all out at 101, with the Windies going on to claim a 36-run win and lift the World T20 cup. After years of struggle, their moment had come at last.
The victory, their first world title since 1979, saw not just West Indian fans celebrating, but all cricket lovers (with the exception, perhaps, of those hailing from Sri Lanka) united in their joy – everyone loves it when the underdog comes through. What
added to the joy was the obvious enjoyment and high-spirited enthusiasm with which the team had played, drawing the world into their happiness, and charming the crowds with their infectious celebrations. Currently having shot up to number 2 on the ICC’s T20
team rankings, the Windies appear to have broken free of their troubled past, and bolstered by the newly-acquired world title, look all set to initiate what will hopefully be a new era in the history of West Indies cricket.
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