After the opening sport of the inaugural ICC Males’s T20 World Cup in 2007, we thought ‘wow, this sport is tailored for us West Indians.’ Dwayne Bravo and I’d speak about making a legacy. We had the chance to do this within the T20 format and we grabbed that with each fingers. Clive Lloyd, Sir Viv and the greats began it by profitable two World Cups within the 70s, and the groups of the 80s and 90s set the usual within the Check enviornment.
We made T20 our personal for a decade and our gamers went on to turn out to be among the biggest and most sought-after on the planet. In 2007, Chris Gayle scored that incredible hundred within the first sport towards South Africa in Johannesburg and we went on to scale nice heights from there.
Captaining that crew was straightforward as a result of I had very skilled guys who knew T20 cricket inside out. Having the primary and two bowlers on the planet didn’t harm. Sunil Narine and Samuel Badree introduced us stability – I’m an enormous believer that batters win you video games, however bowlers win you tournaments
After I took over the captaincy in 2010, there was numerous stress on me as a participant and it took me two years to earn the respect of my males. The way in which we performed within the remaining in 2012 and my very own private efficiency, that basically modified the way in which the fellows checked out me as a pacesetter. My title went from Daren to captain, to skipper.
One among my favorite moments was early within the 2012 remaining, when Ravi Rampaul began off with an outswinger to hit the off stump of Tillakaratne Dilshan. That’s my favorite as a result of it solidified my place as chief within the crew, my performances had been beginning to click on, my males had been beginning to respect me.
What Ottis Gibson and I went by means of to win a title. My shoulders, after feeling so heavy with criticism from throughout, relaxed in spite of everything that had been stated about me as captain of the crew. I had the privilege of taking the trophy house with me to Saint Lucia. All of Saint Lucia had come out to see me and Johnson Charles, it was particular.
We had a motorcade from the south of the island all the way in which to the north. That was one thing, that was actually one thing. That was 2012, and 2016 was even higher.
This week, I used to be speaking to a bunch of children that I mentor in Pakistan and I used to be telling them about that final over in 2016. We all the time problem them to hit 19 off the final over. All of us wished Marlon Samuels on strike as a result of till then Carlos Brathwaite had not likely fired, and Marlon was flying on 70-odd.
I keep in mind Chris saying ‘wow, 19 is lots’ however I knew if the primary ball went for six, the stress goes again on the bowler. Man oh man, I by no means thought we might see 4 sixes! That was divine intervention and we would have liked that in spite of everything we had been by means of.
It is the final reminiscence I’ve in a West Indies shirt, that was my final sport, and it’s an excellent one to recollect. We created historical past that day, it was superb. The unhappy factor is that after 2016 that crew was dismantled. They introduced the fellows again in 2021 however they had been well beyond their greatest.
We had an opportunity to combine the younger gamers in with the skilled guys and we misplaced a large alternative to turn out to be stronger. However I simply spoke to Nicholas Pooran and he reckons the fellows are shaping up properly. I’ve a extremely good feeling about this squad as a result of we’ve a lot expertise.
The batters are there as all the time. Kyle Mayers is such a expertise and instances the ball brilliantly and we all know Nicholas is a match-winner. The nice factor this time spherical is we’ve bowlers who can take wickets. We didn’t know the place our wickets would come from final time however this time we do.
You’ll be able to depend on Akeal Hosein, he’s within the high 10 on the planet and Odean Smith retains bettering, so it’s about fine-tuning and getting the suitable mixtures. I’d by no means write off the West Indies and I’ve a humorous feeling that one thing particular goes to occur in Australia
