Why the Windies are world champs
April 05, 2016  13:51
While on cricket...

The legendary cricket writer Prem Panicker on why the Windies are world beaters:

"I forget where I read this, but the best explanation for the rise of the Windies in T20 stems from the problem itself: The WICB won't pay the senior stars, won't pick them (okay, faults on both sides) and so have reduced them to mercenaries. (A friend on Twitter used the analogy of samurai who, unwanted by their liege lord, turn ronin and roam the world, killing for a fee).

"What this has meant is that while this team plays very little together as a team, they are for their various franchises doing just this one thing day in and out -- playing T20, against all sorts of opposition in all sorts of conditions. And to get well paid by franchises means you really have to excel, so goes without saying this team is made up of 11 players who each excel, in some franchise or other, every other day of the year.

"And then for a world event they get together, and no matter what you think of team spirit and all that jazz, having 11 players any of whom can swing a game on his day is worth gold in the shortest form of the sport."
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