St. George’s, October 8, 2012 – Grenadians nationwide joined the celebrations and tributes to the West Indies cricket team that convincingly won the ICC World T20 championship on Sunday in Sri Lanka.
Home team Sri Lanka, chasing a winning score of 138, were bowled out for 102.
It was the fourth major international title for the Caribbean’s cricketers. Their first, under former captain Clive Lloyd, was in the inaugural Cricket World Cup in 1975.
The last, prior to Sunday, was in 2004 when a Brian Lara-led team beat England to win the ICC Champions Trophy.
“We will definitely cherish this moment. I will for sure,’’ Darren Sammy, the St. Lucia-born captain of West Indies said after Sunday’s victory.
“West Indies fans all over the world have been craving success,’’ he added. “I know they’re partying from Jamaica down to Guyana, and we know how to party!’’
Former Junior Culture Minister, Arley Gill, said the captain and his team should be commended for their tenacity, teamwork and professionalism throughout the entire T20 tournament.
“The players deserve our praise and commendation,’’ said former Senator Gill. “They played as a unit, backed up each other on the field and displayed unbelievable fighting spirit when required. The fighting spirit of Kirani James and other Caribbean athletes at the London Olympic seemed to have spilled over to our cricket team.’’
Gill agrees with Sammy’s comment that Sunday’s championship win was a step forward for the West Indies cricket team that now believes it can win against good opposition in limited-overs and test matches.
“The current crop of players appears to be gelling well and showing confidence in themselves and each other. Those qualities, combined with the batting and bowling talent of the cricketers, are a good sign that our regional team is on an upward trajectory and can begin to win consistently,’’ said Gill.