Pre-Christmas win fills West Indies with hope for the new year

BILATERAL SERIES rarely generate a sense of excitement given the amount of cricket that is being played all over the world.

However, the recently concluded One-Day International (ODI) series between West Indies and England challenged that narrative given the recent turn of events with both sides and the heightened euphoria of Christmas. Notably, the West Indies have finally ended their drought against England in ODI series since 2007. Is this a watershed moment?

At the start of the series, many pundits had England as favourites to take the ODI series despite their disastrous showing at the 50-over World Cup in India. There was still an air of optimism as they entered their very own rebuilding phase.

However, they were left deflated by a resilient West Indies, who played with character, flair and some amount of skill. England’s captain Jos Buttler was obviously dejected. His facial expression at the end of the series was reminiscent of a man lost in a sea of uncertainty. The revolutionary white-ball lynchpins are sinking further.

The truth is, the pressure was on England to rebound after a disappointing showing at the World Cup where they finished in seventh position. Their squad selection against the West Indies suggested they were looking towards the next World Cup cycle by investing in some fringe players. They are not short on talent, and the likes of Will Jacks, Phil Salt and Rehan Ahmed showed that they are capable of producing the goods at the international level.

England should be able to bounce back given they have a well-oiled domestic structure, a wide talent pool, the financial clout to manage their players and an enviable white-ball identity that made them trailblazers for approximately eight years. Their success was underpinned by a fusion of clarity and audacity. They were brash, fearless and indomitable in their cricketing philosophy as attack was their only form of defence.

On the other side of the coin, West Indies had already started their journey to be a part of the next 50-over World Cup with a series loss to India earlier in the year. While England managed to hit rock bottom at the recently concluded World Cup, West Indies have been dwelling on sinking sand for years. Hence, this morale-boosting 2-1 series victory against one of the top teams could spark a revival of some sort.

There were some obvious positives for the home team.

Captain Shai Hope continues to show the world that he is right up there with the world’s best ODI batters. He even notched up a few milestones along the away, becoming the fastest West Indian to score 5000 ODI runs, matching the record set by Sir Vivian Richards. Hope’s poise, solid technique, appetite for scoring big runs and his mental strength make him a gun player. Furthermore, the added responsibility of captaincy has not affected his performances. In fact, his strike rate is improving exponentially in his new number-four batting position.

Guyanese all-rounder Romario Shepherd also deserves plaudits for consistently finishing off games with the bat. Blessed with tremendous bat speed and power, Shepherd is as brutal a finisher you will find in the modern game. His finishing skills were evident in the first and third ODI matches. One can expect his stocks to continue rising in the coming months.

Another Guyanese all-rounder, Sherfane Rutherford, showed glimpses of his ability throughout the series.

However, injudicious shot selection in all three matches highlighted that he has some work to do in relation to game awareness and clarity of thought. Additionally, Matthew Forde had a dream debut in the third ODI, which was the series decider.

The 21-year-old Barbadian bowled with the skill and consistency of a seasoned professional, getting the ball to seam and swing appreciably in helpful conditions.

With the requisite guidance, his development can be further expedited, especially with Jason Holder opting to decline a central contract for the 2023-2024 cycle. Nicholas Pooran and Kyle Mayers also declined central contracts. This latest announcement underpins a move that will become commonplace in years to come.

Sport Pulse and Sport Matters are fortnightly columns highlighting advances that impact Sport. We look forward to your continued readership.Mr. Andy A. Spence is a cricket enthusiast who has been following the sport from a very tender age. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Language, Communication & Society and a MA in Linguistics, both at The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. He can be contacted at andy.spence16@yahoo.com