Oh Gosh, we win! No clean sweep for Aussies

AT LAST! The West Indies cricket team has given the entire Caribbean something to cheer about. It has taken 27 years for the shame and agony to be wiped off our faces through the sporting declaration of then Windies captain Clive Lloyd.

Very few cricket fanatics will ever forget that fateful day at the Queen’s Park Oval on April 11, 1976, when Lloyd gave India 406 to win in the fourth innings and they comfortably achieved this target with the loss of only four wickets. That was the world record and it stood for so long until yesterday when the West Indies, batting against all odds, scored 418 for seven wickets to beat the number one team in the world — Australia. Many teams have tried unsuccessfully to chase more than 400 to win a Test Match. No team has scored more than 406 in the final innings to win a match in the 125 years of Test cricket. Not even the most ardent of supporters felt that the Caribbean team could have achieved this feat after they were totally outplayed in the first three Test matches.

Things were so hard that West Indies could not even get 20 wickets in any of the first three Test matches. But records follow records and the successful run chase of 418 was made at the Antigua Recreation Ground, now becoming famous for world achievements. It was at this same ground on April 18, 1994 that Trinidadian Brian Charles Lara, now the Windies captain, scored the highest individual Test score of 375, surpassing the legendary Sir Gary Sobers. It was the same Shivnarine Chanderpaul who stood up with Lara in 1994, who stood up again in this Fourth Test to ensure that West Indies achieve the impossible. It was also the same ground where Ramnaresh Sarwan scored his first Test hundred in the Caribbean after a string of half-centuries. And although he was reported to the ICC, new Windies fast bowling sensation Jermaine Lawson captured 7 for 78 on the first day of this match.

Although the Test match was being played in Antigua, very few Trinidadians were missing yesterday’s final day with the West Indies resuming on 371 for 6, needing another 47 for victory. Although Chanderpaul and Omari Banks attacked the Australian bowling on Monday afternoon, it seems West Indies have a problem after the intervals — whether it is lunch, tea or overnight. Time and time again, the West Indies batsmen have succumbed in this series when resuming after a break. That was the only thing which stood in the way of the Caribbean team achieving the new world record. With the addition of just one run, Chanderpaul was caught behind and the biting of the finger nails started through the region. In Trinidad, people were glued to their television sets. At Fair Chance racing pool on Queen Street, Port-of-Spain, all eyes were on the match, with punters temporarily forgetting why they were in that establishment.

Even traffic was minimal in downtown Port-of-Spain as the Windies batsmen inched closer to the 418 target. On the television set, Lara remained solemn for most of yesterday morning. He finally broke into a smile when the West Indies team needed just five runs to win. He became the happiest man at 11.22 am when Vasbert Drakes cracked the winning boundary to achieve the impossible. Lara, who was booed in the First Test in Guyana, became the instant hero by leading the team to set a new world record. His 60 on Monday set the stage for a memorable victory. Although the West Indies lost the series and the Sir Frank Worrell trophy 3-1, yesterday’s victory wiped away the disappointment of the first three matches. At last, the West Indies with a very young side, can now earn the respect of the cricketing world.