Well, the West Indies team did good on Thursday...beating Australia by 74 runs in their semi-final match of the ICC World Twenty20 competition.
The West Indies batted first and scored 205 runs for 4, while the Australians could only manage 131 runs.
The heavy-hitting, Chris Gayle, got the Man of the Match award for his 75 runs from 41 balls and and Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo and Marlon Samuels also contributed with 38, 37 and 26 runs respectively.
Congrats to them!!!
But can the West Indies team (Windies) secure a win in the ICC World Twenty20 Finals against Sri Lanka, tomorrow?
Throughout the competition, Sri Lanka has proven to be the top team (ranked no. 1) by being immaculate in all areas of the game: bowling, batting and fielding...
...The Windies got to the semifinals by winning one match.
But in their semifinal match against Australia, they were clean..not immaculate - but clean, determined and strategic.
The top four (4) West Indian batsmen: Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Marlon Samuels and Kieron Pollard, displayed utter class in their batting and the bowlers and wicket keeper, also contributed by really performing.
(E.g. Ravi Rampaul, renown for bowling no-balls, was clinical in his 3 wickets for 16 runs).
But the Windies have two (2) advantages going into their match tomorrow...they've beaten a formidable Australian team to make it to the finals...and they've tasted the sweet sop of victory..that should make them hungry for more.
The thing is, will they be hungry enough for that sweet sop tomorrow, when they face Sri Lanka in the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo?
I think they will be...but we'll just have to wait and see!
In the meantime, there is an interesting take from the The Guardian's Vic Marks:
According to him, Chris Gayle and other Jamaicans on the West Indies cricket team are lazy for not wanting to run between the wickets and preferring to stay at the crease and hit fours and sixes, which require no running.
What's even more interesting is that he goes on to state that since the West Indies team- especially the Jamaicans, are so lazy, that Caribbean people, especially Jamaicans, are lazy people too.
Interesting huh?
That's like saying that because Kevin Pietersen text insider-information re his British team members to the visiting South African team during the August Test Series, then all British people are imprudent and disloyal.
But Vic needs to remember that there is a difference between working smart and working hard:
Working hard is doing strenuous work to accomplishing a task, the result of which may be ordinary.
Working smart is using your intellect, experience and skill sets to do the same task, less strenuously, because you've thought of a more efficient and effective way in which to do it...
...thus producing extraordinary results (hence the 10.3 average run rate per over, achieved by the West Indies on Thursday).
NB: For our younger readers, the above statement by Vic, is what is called a "faulty generalization"...i.e. judging an entire population or group of people, by the behaviour of one or a few members of that group.
To our readers who wish to be wiser...continually using these faulty generalizations will make you seem like a dwarf among more sensible giants. :)
You are forewarned not to use them...if you wish to grow in stature (physically and intellectually).
Gillian
Sources Include
1) Television Jamaica, October 5, 2012
2) CVM Television, October 5, 2012
3) Article, "Cricket-Australia v West Indies - second semi-final scoreboard", via Reuters, October 5,2012
4) Article,"Chris Gayle inspires West Indies to beat Australia in World T20 semi", via Vic Marks, TheGuardian, October 5,2012
5) Article, "Pietersen back in favour before Ashes", via Sky News, October 4,2012
