In the name of WEST INDIES

     1975, the year of the inaugural edition of the world cup, the era when the Lords of Cricket, England and Australia were in the best of their forms, the era when the World Cricket took the first real step towards the Globalization of the game. That was the year, the West Indian Army of the Black Pearls lead by the Great Clive Lloyd clinched the first ever World Cup on the English soil and announced their arrival in the World Cricket with a BANG!

     Year changed but the the event, the venue and the result didn't. Once again in 1979 the Lords of the Cricket were unexpectedly defeated by the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN. That was the time of the West Indian Cricket. Players like Lloyd, Ambrose, Sir Vivian Richards became the Masters of the game but the CHAMPIONS failed to make the mark ever again.

     After 1979 it always had been the story of semi-finals and group stages but never did they climb to the top of the ladder again.

     35 years passed and then came the CHAMPIONS TROPHY 2004, the feeling of being triumphant rose again on the Caribbean islands but it didn't last long, in fact it was the last joy before the GLOOMY FUTURE.

     The RISE of 2011 and the fall of the West Indian Cricket shocked the West Indian cricket. The conflicts between the Board and the players forced an entirely new squad in the mega event of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Though talented yet the inexperienced bunch of the Caribbean players was knocked out from the Quarter Finals.

     Finances forced the young lads to step down from the international squad but meanwhile, unnoticed, the aggression got harder, potential started to reach the skies and the leagues around the world turned the West Indian coal to pure DIAMOND.

     DARREN SAMMY, DJ BRAVO, CH GAYLE, SUNIL NARINE, SAMUEL BADREE... Keep on counting the names and you'll keep on getting a T20 Master one after another and the Masters out classed they're competitors to win their 1st ever ICC WORLD T20 in 2012.

     West Indies believed, the cheers roared and the Caribbean celebration begin. It was the time when people thought about their revival but the nightmare was not to be over so quickly. Years passed by and 2015 arrived, the darkest year in the history of WEST INDIAN CRICKET. The old story of the West Indian Board and the players caused the worst ever tragedy for the Windies.

     A poor cricketing year in 2013-14, big loss from Ireland in ICC WORLD CUP 2015, and an excellent Bangladeshi year thrashed the 2004 winners out of the 2017 Champions Trophy 2017. West Indies couldn't even qualify for the Mega Event. It was a dead end in front of the West Indian nation. Days passed by and the West Indian Cricket was being cornered day by day.

     On the Christmas’ eve of 2015 every West Indian cricket fan requested Santa Claus to bring back the honor they had, the respect they had earned, bring back what had been lost for eternity and what couldn't be redeemed. Santa honored them.

     This time the young boys lead the way. West Indies U19 had a series of tough matches against the Asian giants. A quarter final against Pakistan U19, a semifinal against Bangladesh U19 and the big final against India U19. The first ever FINAL for the youngsters from Windies brought up the first ever West Indian U19 World Cup Victory. They rejoiced and they had every right to do so.

     A month later, it was the seniors turn to step up. They had a hard way to cover. No support from their own board made it even harder for them. This required maturity and integrity of the team and they displayed it. They had it, the sportsmanship, the brotherhood, the harmony, the integrity.

     "Win we rejoice, loss we congratulate." The agenda of the West Indies gave the real meaning to the sport. They danced when they won and danced along others when they lost. Men and women continued the journey and against all odds made their way to the big FINALS.

     6! 6! 6! 6! And it was done! Boys lead the way, Women followed the path and Men completed the trail. 2016 had been the year of the West Indian Cricket. The U19 World Cup 2016, Women’s ICC World T20 2016 and the Men’s ICC World T20 2016, all belong to one nation, WEST INDIES. 

     Yes! Santa fulfilled the wish. The respect was back, the magic was back and the team which was almost disavowed by her own Board was now in King's Crown.

     Call them whatever you want to, criticize them all your life but they are the CHAMPIONS OF GAME, they are the CHAMPIONS FROM HEART, they played the game with the spirit of the game, they played for their nation, they made their way out of the hard times and now they stand tall as CHAMPIONS. Now, EVERYBODY KNOWS DARREN SAMMY IS A CHAMPION, EVERYBODY KNOWS WINDIES ARE A CHAMPION.

     Give them the RESPECT they DESERVE!

The Australian Dynasty

1803, the year when the first ever official cricket match was recorded on the Australian soil; however sources do report that cricket was already well established in the middle of 19^th Century. Australia’s cricket history has been over 210 years old which is in fact a pretty long era.

           The journey till now was not as easy as it sounds. 2 Centuries brought a lot of highs and lows in the Australian Cricket but the Aussies have never stepped back from the profession.

 The 5 times World Champions didn’t reach the sky in one night. Imagine that at one stage, after the World Wars and the inter-state conflicts, the World Champions were on the verge of being knocked out of the World Cricket but their hard work, determination and the most important ACC (Australian Cricket Council) dragged them all the way back into the main stream of cricket and now, they stand at the top of the LADDER.

History has witnessed the fact that the Australian Cricket Council was well-established ages ago and it had always been producing classical players. Armstrong, Bradman, Healy, Chappell, Waugh, Ponting, Clarke, Lee, Warne, Gilchrist; call the era and you will always find an Aussie among the best in the business.

Australia has been ruling the cricket world for ages. Though they had been involved in the game way back from the creation of nations like Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka but they have been far more successful from their arch rivals England who have been in the game since the start.

It’s not the case that they never saw a set-back in their journey. They were down and out at number of occasions but every time they have received a PUNCH, they have BOUNCED back even harder.

         Let’s recall, Australia were no-where among the world’s best in the first three editions of the World Cup but they surprisingly surprised the world by their 1987 World Cup victory on the Asian pitches which had always been an unconquered territory for them. Then a heart-breaking knock out from the 1992 World Cup at home yet again they managed to sneak into the final in the following World Cup 1996 and then the world witnessed the DAWN of the Australian Cricket. They finally managed to lift the World Trophy in 1999 after 12 years and remain indomitable even in a single Match in the next 2 editions of the World Cup either. Again a setback in 2011 on the same naughty Asian pitches yet a strong come back in 2015 where they took the World Cup back to home. In between who can forget the 32 ASHES victories comprising of 3 clean sweeps against England and the 2 Champions Trophies successfully won by Australia.

What’s the reason for such a success? Surely they don’t have a Harry Potter or a magical fairy. The only reason for their success is their determination, hard work, professionalism and loyalty to their country.

Australia has produced a number of legends probably the most by any country. The key to success has not been mere talent but TALENT HUNTING and the way they have REFINED their talents have given them an edge. Imagine the strength of their domestic circuit from the fact that their major event SHEFFIELD SHIELD was properly established way back in the 1850s as mentioned earlier.

They have the World’s finest domestic cricket setup covering all the formats. A 4-Day Championship, a ONE-DAY competition and the glamorous BIG BASH LEAGUE which is rated even higher by the critics than its closest competitor  IPL.

No one can deny the fact that their cricket at home is acting like a source of converting coal into polished Diamond. What more would anyone want that their own legends are willingly and sincerely serving their home cricket either coaching or talent-hunting or even in selection committees but they are determined to mark out the best in the pool.

Cricket Australia has not produced “The PLAYERS” to look out for, but they have identified CAPTAINS, prepared LEADERS who could martial the troops to the victory stand, who could conquer the disputed territory among the “World’s Best”.

It has been a long history of SUCCESSORS and SOLDIERS who have won over many soils and stood tall in the BATTLEFIELDS by the end of the Battles. From Steve Waugh to Ricky Ponting to Michael Clarke, all of them have made their country proud on the grand stages and now Steven Smith is up to the task.

Their dominance in TESTS and ODIs continues yet the T20 continues to be a worry for them. But the way BBL is progressing by leaps and bounds, it won’t take them long to top the T20 victory stand either once they find themselves in the suitable conditions.

Undoubtedly, the ACC continues to provide the best of the training centers where boys turn men, recruits becomes GENERALS and legends are born. Aussies continue to fight out for their lives and the empire continues to grow. The AUSTRALIAN DYNASTY continues to be the most dominant race in the world of cricket which is never going to be forgot the CRICKET HISTORY.