THE RECENT IPL auction has proven to be a disaster for Pakistani cricketers. But it has really been a boon for some West Indian players. In the inaugural Champions League, we saw a refreshing Trinidad and Tobago side, which brought back memories of vintage calypso cricket with their performance. And, if that was the beginning of a resurgence, the IPL auction underscored the fact that a new brand of West Indian cricket is waiting to explode in the days to come.
This resurgence has taken a while to happen. For a long time now, West Indian cricket has languished on the periphery and we just saw the occasional individual brilliance. But now, it appears that more and more young players are coming to the fore and asserting themselves.
Island politics has not helped West Indian cricket in the past and perhaps the best players from the islands did not make it to the national team. Young talent was also lured to the USA in the quest of money and NBA glamour. Trinidad and Tobacco also qualified for World Cup soccer finals last time around. And Jamaican sprinters took the athletic world by storm. So, cricket was not uppermost in the minds of young people back in the isles. But now, with the arrival and success of the IPL and T20 cricket, it can be said that more and more young people will make their way back into West Indian cricket and perhaps make the game all pervasive in those parts, like it used to be in the days of Richards, Sobers and the three W’s.
In recent times, the biggest lament among young people in those parts has been that cricket is not a lucrative career option for them when compared to basketball, soccer and sprinting. The West Indian board has remained short of funds and the players have been at loggerheads with the establishment over money and this has not been a very good advertisement for cricket in the islands.
Stanford flaunted his ill-earned cash at the players for a brief while, but that did not have a lasting impression. Pundits argue that T20 is harming cricket and big bucks will ultimately spell doom. While that remains a debatable point, I think it can help revive West Indian cricket in a big way and attract young players to the game once again.
With young players like Kieron Pollard and Kemar Roach attracting such huge money in the IPL auction, young players back in the West Indies can no longer complain that for them cricket is not as lucrative as basketball, soccer and sprinting.
These players too have shown fire in their belly. Pollard has caught the imagination (and the eye) with superb hitting in the Champions League and KFC Big Bash. Kemar Roach bowled with raw pace in the test series in Australia and forced Ricky Ponting to retire hurt for the first time in his long and distinguished career. So, in a way, players like Roach and Pollard deserve the riches which are being showered on them in the IPL.
Chris Gayle remains a star attraction wherever he plays and Dwayne Bravo has matured into a seasoned pro as seen in the IPL and Big Bash. The likes of Dwayne Smith and Fidel Edwards (he is injured right now) are not doing too badly either. Adrian Barath got a test hundred on debut in Australia and Lindl Simmons looks impressive as well. Veterans Sarwan and Chanderpaul continue to serve the team.
On Saturday, the West Indian under-19 team qualified for the World Cup semi-finals being played in New Zealand and might just go all the way. (India was knocked out in the quarters by Pakistan). In that junior Windies team too, some young bowlers (like Holder, for example) seem to possess a lot of potential.
These surely are the signs and I have a feeling that perhaps we are about to witness the resurgence of West Indian cricket. Thanks to IPL and its riches, more Pollards could be on the way.
