Bolt from the Blue: T&T in the Champions League
It has been a great fortnight for Caribbean cricket.
The West Indies Players Association (Wipa) resolved a long-running contractual dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and all players ended their strike action ahead of their tour of Australia next month.
Usain Bolt then showed the world he’s a joker (again) when he bounced, then clean-bowled West Indies captain Chris Gayle and pointed him back to the pavilion. Oh, and Trinidad and Tobago made it into the Inaugural Champions League Final against New South Wales Blues (NSW).
T&T have been dynamite in the competition, unbeaten so far and, having beaten early tournament favourites NSW in the Super Eight phase, are highly fancied in the competition’s showpiece.
The startling thing is their progress through the tournament has been as unexpected as it has been unchecked.
Indian Premier League sides, filled with household names, have fallen by the wayside. Bangalore Royal Challengers, opening with Jacques Kallis, intimidating the opposition early doors through Dale Steyn’s pace and turning the screw with Anil Kumble’s leg spin; Deccan Chargers with the explosive Adam Gilchrist and Andy Symonds; not to mention Delhi Daredevils, featuring Test batsman of the Year Gautam Gambhir, T20 specialist Dirk Nannes and Tillakaratne Dilshan, of the ‘Dil-scoop’ – none made the Super Eights.
Yesterday’s semi final saw Cape Cobras, featuring South African stars Herschelle Gibbs and Jean Paul Duminy, thumped with gleeful abandon by Daren Ganga’s relatively unknown T&T side.
The captain was there at the end of an unbeaten 93-run stand with Dwayne Bravo, as Bravo blended substance and style, lofting a drive over mid-on to for four, sealing victory with his 58 not out.
At 3:15pm today, T&T once again face up to NSW, formidable as they are with pocket rocket David Warner and Phil Hughes opening up, followed by the skilful Simon Katich and in-form all-rounder Moises Henriques, not to mention Brett Lee.
If you think a Caribbean victory would be a turn-up for the books, never write the West Indies off. England did, at their own peril, in the 2004 Champions Trophy as ninth-wicket pairing Ian Bradshaw and Courtney Browne flayed Darren Gough to all parts and won. The Stanford Super Series was a case of the same again as the West Indies, powered by Gayle and newcomer Andre Fletcher, stashed the cash.
And if all this makes you think what a topsy-turvy world of sport we are living in, in the same charity match where 100m and 200m World Champion Usain ‘Lightning’ Bolt castled Chris ‘Master blaster’ Gayle, Bolt was run out.
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