Having exceeded expectations throughout tournament, both England and West Indies look for final high in blockbuster clash tonight
Before the start of the ICC World T20, West Indies captain Darren Sammy had said his team needed six steps to regain the title they first won in 2012. Now, after taking five steps including a recovery from falling into a pit against Afghanistan in their last league encounter, the moment of truth is finally upon them.
Sammy and his cheerful bunch of West Indies T20 specialists will face the might of Eoin Morgan's England in the final of the World T20 at the historic Eden Gardens here on Sunday evening.
Either winner will become the first team to lift the coveted trophy twice – West Indies having claimed the trophy in 2012, two years after England won theirs.
Experience and past record give the Carribeans the edge, besides the fact that every individual in their team regularly plays in T20 leagues around the world. The West Indies have won all four of their World T20 clashes against England including their Super 10 Group 1 opener in Wankhede on March 16, when Chris Gayle demolished the Englishmen with a hurricane unbeaten 100, the only century in the tournament proper (not counting Tamim Iqbal's 103* for Bangladesh against Oman in the qualifiers).
The West Indies' confidence is on a high, especially after defeating pre-tournament favourites and hosts India in a brilliant run-chase in the semifinal in Mumbai on Thursday. But they aren't the ones to live in past glory. It's their self-belief that has made this West Indies unit click.
"One of the senior players, I think it was Dwayne Bravo, made a comment in one of our team meetings, 'the only thing that could beat us is ourselves' and we believe that," Sammy said here on Saturday: "We could only defeat ourselves. Once we do that, nobody can defeat us and that is the mentality we take forward against England."
Nothing could stop the West Indies in the semifinal against India. Not even the vociferous packed Wankhede Stadium rooting for MS Dhoni and Co. That showed the confidence that the West Indies had in themselves.
Coming into the tournament feeling "disrespected" by its own board, sticking together as a team and enjoying each other's success is what has taken them this far. A team of power-hitters right through the batting order, West Indies showed that they were not entirely reliant on Chris Gayle for success with the bat.
Even during the Jamaican's failures, they found match-winners in Johnson Charles, Lendl Simmons, and their ever-reliable Andre Russell, a T20 specialist who has the habit of winning most valuable player awards in the T20 leagues like purchasing apples in market.
For their popularity, West Indies will be the crowd favourites despite the fact that they ousted India in the semifinal.
But, as Sammy admitted, they cannot take England lightly. Since their defeat to the West Indies in their opening match, England have taken their game to a new level, posting four successive victories including against New Zealand, who until the semifinal had a 100 per cent success rate in this tournament.
Eoin Morgan and his side, despite not playing in T20 leagues outside their domestic competition, have played like champions. They did not let their inexperience in this format affect them. If it was Joe Root with the bat in one game, it was Jason Roy in the other, not to forget the aggressive Jos Buttler. What's more, captain Morgan is waiting to fire with the bat. No better occasion than the final.
Ever since their miserable 50-overs World Cup show in Australia-New Zealand last year, they have changed the style of cricket under Morgan in limited overs, something that has made everyone sit up and take notice. Call it fearless, aggressive, attacking, positive or whatever, Morgan and Co. are determined to bury the ghosts of the past and usher in a new era into England cricket.
England would also like to set their record in world event finals straight at the Eden Gardens. It was at this very venue when in the 1987 Reliance World Cup final, Mike Gatting's Englishmen went down to Allan Border's Australia.
And, as the West Indies captain said on the match eve, "I always like cricket to be the winner", Sunday's final will be nothing short of exciting, entertaining and joyful.
N ZONE
4
No. of times the West Indies have beaten England in the World T20 including their opening win in this edition in Mumbai
9
No. of times the Carribeans have beaten the Three Lions in T20Is out of 13 games, the most they have won against any opposition
5
The West Indians have chased in all the five games in this World T20, winning four and losing one to minnows Afghanistan
36
No. of sixes the West Indies have hit in the tournament, the most by any team. England, with 34, are second best
2
In both the night games in Kolkata, teams chasing has won: India and Sri Lanka against Pakistan and Afghanistan, respectively
DID YOU KNOW?
England or West Indies will become the first team to lift the World T20 title twice, the Englishmen having won it in 2010 and the Carribeans in 2012
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