A lesson in tenacity from West Indies cricketers

DEATH and illness are the worst of the consequences, but the novel coronavirus pandemic has altered everything, mostly for worse.

Economies, businesses are being ruined; many people have lost their jobs or are on reduced pay; for many young people education is on hold; and social life — hamstrung by anti-virus protocols — is in disarray. Depression and despair have reached extreme levels.

Despite the promise of vaccines, an uncertain future beckons.

And, in Jamaica, long-running, demoralising violent crime continues unabated.

It’s a time begging for a spark of inspiration; something to trigger hope.

Caribbean people got a touch of that spark on Saturday night into early yesterday morning when a West Indies cricket team — written off as no-hopers — pulled off one of cricket’s great triumphs.

In normal circumstances, a West Indies team beating fellow strugglers Bangladesh by three wickets in a Test match would be no great shakes. After all, West Indies are ranked eighth on the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Test match rankings, and Bangladesh ninth. But this was not normal.

To begin with, West Indies, soundly thrashed by powerful New Zealand in that country in December, was rocked to the core following the decision of 10 top players, including limited overs and Test match captains Messrs Kieron Pollard and Jason Holder, respectively, to decline invitations to visit Bangladesh. The fears of COVID-19 and of stiflingly strict biosecure arrangements were overriding reasons.

As expected, an inexperienced West Indies limited overs squad was vanquished in three One-day Internationals.

It seemed the Test squad was in line for a similar fate; though, as some pointed out, there were a few more battle-hardened warriors in that lot.

Bangladesh would surely have felt it was all in a day’s work when West Indies entered the fifth and final day of the first Test at 110-3, still needing a further 285 runs to win on a dry, worn pitch that was helpful to the hosts’ vaunted spin bowlers.

To win, this oft-described weak West Indies batting line-up would have to achieve the highest-ever run chase by any team on the last day of a Test match in Asia.

Impossible, reasonable people agreed.

For awed West Indians watching on television and other devices, two débutants — 28-year-old Barbadian Mr Kyle Mayers, who scored a magical, unbeaten 210, and 32-year-old Jamaican Mr Nkrumah Bonner with 86 — batted for most of that final day to help West Indies achieve the stuff of dreamy fantasy.

In the process, the two — virtually unknown outside of the Caribbean until now — shared a fourth-wicket stand of 216 runs. To provide perspective, this was only the second time in the glorious 144-year history of Test cricket that two débutants had built a partnership in excess of 200 runs.

Clearly relaxed, and often smiling as they chatted, the two obviously enjoyed each other’s company, which would have helped. But, for all that, their work on that stressful final day was mind-boggling.

Mr Mayers says a dressing room consensus that the team should keep on “fighting” and “never give up”, helped.

As has happened before, sport has shown the way in this most difficult of times in human history. Even pressed to the wall, we must keep on fighting. Never give up.

Except for the views expressed in the column above, the articles published on this page do not necessarily represent the views of the Jamaica Observer.