The final of the World T20 surely lived up to the bidding – a massively entertaining, nail biting affair with exceptional sole performances and a dramatic last-over finish. Requiring an imposing 19 of the last 6 balls, Carlos Brathwaite struck 4 sixes of the first four balls to propel West Indies to the history books once more. The fact that the West Indies women team and the U-19 team won their respective tournament s too cements their dominance in the shortest format of the game. Those drawing parallels with the all conquering West Indies team of the 80s will be interested to know that just like in the 80s there is a conflict with the national cricket board in the mix too.
The West Indies’ captain’s post-match interview caused controversy when he revealed the lack of support the team received from the board – to the extent that the team had to print its own kits. The discordant note in the celebratory proceedings ruffle some feathers but the emotional speech does make clear that modern cricket has failed to redistribute wealth properly, and that despite conflicts with the managing setup a united and motivated team can still go the distance – the latter point being directed at the Pakistan cricket team.
West Indies plays the same kind of unpredictable “calypso” cricket that Pakistan in know for – but there is gulf in the capabilities. Whereas the West Indies team is united behind a natural leader after being abandoned by the board, the Pakistani team is divided into different cliques and groups, each vying for control with the help of a over-involved board. It is rare that a captain receives across the board support or complete authority; the Afridi vs Misbah struggle is folk now, and captaincy issues regarding Sarfaraz, Yonis Khan and Azhar Ali draw more attention than the performances itself. A team may not need a managing board or a sophisticated support staff – it does need a leader though.