Caribbeans flatter to deceive, again

Sandwiched between South Africa’s resurgence and Sri Lanka’s revival in the latter half of the year was a familiar tale of West Indies who promised much but delivered much less.

The men from the Caribbean were off to a brilliant start in 2016, winning as many as three world titles in limited-overs cricket. The under-19 boys defeated favourites India to emerge champions in Bangladesh before Darren Sammy and company lifted the men’s WorldT20 trophy for the second time in last three attempts. Just a few hours before Carlos Brathwaite had deposited Ben Stokes for four consecutive sixes in the final over of the final to seal West Indies’ dramatic victory, their women’s team had stunned Australia to pave the way for a rare double at the Eden Gardens.

 Three titles in the space of three months was an ideal platform for West Indies to renew their resurrection but the depressing saga of player-administration tussle ensured that their progress remained stagnant. Sammy’s outburst after winning the WorldT20 resulted in his sacking, a fate Darren Bravo also met with later in the year for calling his Board chief Dave Cameron a “big idiot.”

 While West Indies failed to build on their gains, Sri Lanka showed some pluck and promise to end the year with huge hopes for the future. Having plumbed the depths after the retirements of their stalwarts like Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan, the islanders whitewashed Australia 3-0 in Tests before blanking Zimbabwe 2-0. While veteran left-arm spinner Rangana Herath remained their pivot, they saw some serious young talent emerge from the hinterland.

 Just as the Lankans, South Africa too had slipped into a sort of crisis after a series of defeats that even forced their Board to set up an enquiry committee to look into their repeated failings. Test captaincy changed hands thrice before it finally nestled with Faf du Plessis who led their comeback both at home and away. Having lost to England 1-2 at home, South Africa, in a wonderful turnaround of fortunes, brought Australia to their knees (2-1) in their own den for the third time in a row, the only side to do so after the West Indies in late 1980s and early 90s.

Things appeared to be getting worse for Australia when Pakistan threatened to pull off the mother of all chases. Set a target of 490, Pakistan gave a big freight before folding up for 450 in Brisbane. Pakistan’s remarkable fightback was followed by a dismal show of batting in Melbourne where they crashed to 163 all out to lose by an innings and 18 runs on the final day, handing Australia their second series win of the year. It was a tame end for Pakistan who had risen to No 1 position midway through the year for the first time since the rankings were introduced.

 England was another side that suffered a massive meltdown after a largely successful year, especially in Tests. After beating South Africa (away), Sri Lanka (home) and drawing Pakistan (home) and Bangladesh (away), England were humbled 4-0 by India putting Alastair Cook’s captaincy on the line.   
 
A proposal to introduce football-style red cards by the MCC to discipline players for on-field misbehaviour and the universal acceptance of DRS (India finally agreed to use the technology) were the other welcome developments in another eventful year for cricket.