Two Saturdays ago, in the afternoon going into the evening, at the Stanford Cricket Ground (SCG), at the lovely and homely little place next door to the airport in St. Johns, in Antigua, and known as little SCG, 11 West Indians won US$1 million each.
Led by Chris Gayle, the West Indians won the pot of gold, not in a lottery, but in a cricket match. A cricket match lasting for less than three hours, a so-called contest in which the Stanford Superstars routed England for 99 in 19.5 overs, and then scored 101 without loss off 12.4 overs to win with all 10 wickets in hand and with 44 deliveries to spare.
Massacre by West indies
In other words, what was expected to be a close and exciting contest with England, tipped by almost everyone to win, turned out to be easy for the West Indians. With England managing only seven fours, with the West Indians, paced by Gayle's five fours and five sixes while smashing 65 off 45 deliveries, blasting five sixes and 10 fours, it was far from exciting.
It was, simply put, a massacre by the West Indians.
As far as I am concerned, and apart from the money in their pockets - the kind of money that left each and every one of them rich, some of them beyond their wildest dreams - the victory by the West Indians was no big thing. It was no big thing for the simple reason that, the money part, the pressure a part, not even the players rate 20/20 cricket as something serious.
On top of that, while the better team usually wins in Test match cricket, in the shorter version, particularly so in the 20/20 version, one man can make the difference and any number can play.
Any 20/20 team with Gayle in its line-up must have a chance , and before the game, and with Gayle in the home team's line-up, that really was why I gave the Stanford Superstars a chance.
In the end, however, the Stanford Superstars were better than England. Apart from Gayle in their line-up; apart from the bowling of Jerome Taylor, who set the pace; apart from the brilliant fielding of almost every member of the team; and apart from the obvious desire to win the windfall, they were better because they were better prepared.
Based on the performance of the Stanford Superstars, some may now be saying, as they have been saying every now and again over the past 10 or years, that West Indies cricket has turned the corner.
Different skills
While, in terms of the con-fidence, it may instil something in the youngsters in West Indies cricket and, therefore, may lead to West Indies cricket turning the corner, it should be remembered that the skill necessary for success in 20/20 cricket is far from that which is important to success in one-day internationals and more so in Test cricket.
It is important to remember something, however, and if it is remembered, it is something worth cheering.
It should be remembered that Trinidad and Tobago, the champions of the West Indies, defeated Middlesex, the cham-pions of England; that England, the best of England, barely hung on to defeat Trinidad and Tobago by one solitary run, and that the Stanford Superstars, with players who are not even in the West Indies one-day team for matches against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi, defeated the best of England - and easily, very easily at that.
According to coach Peter Moores, England may have lost the 'showdown' because they were not focused.
Because they could not decide whether to play for their country or for the money and, based on what was reported, according to captain Kevin Pietersen and to former captain Nasser Hussain, it was good, or it was not too bad that the Superstars won the match and, therefore, the money.
Needing the money
According to Pietersen and Hussain, the West Indian cricketers needed the money more than their English counterparts. While they may be correct, while some of the West Indians may need the money more than all the England players, US$1 million a man is a lot of money.
I am positive, very positive, that it is the kind of money which no cricketer in the world, if he can help it, would give up without a fight. I am, therefore, also confident that England gave it their best shot and probably it was the pressure of playing for so much that destroyed them.
Based on some of the shots their batsmen played, and early in their innings at that, it appeared as if the pressure had scrambled their brains. England, the best of England, could not help it.
And they probably could not help it against a team that was not the best of the West Indies, for the simple reason that they do not possess the ability of the West Indians, definitely not so when it comes to attacking batting and certainly not when it comes to the kind of batting that is necessary to win 20/20 matches.
Well played West Indians, and lest it be forgotten, congrats to Eldine Baptiste and to Roger Harper - the two West Indians who prepared the team so well that the players appeared focused and invincible as a unit.