The West Indian cricket team, also known as the West Indies or, colloquially, the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.
From the mid-1970s to the early 1990s, the West Indies team was one of the strongest in the world in both Test and One Day International cricket. A number of cricketers considered among the best in the world have hailed from the West Indies: Sir Garfield Sobers, Lance Gibbs, Gordon Greenidge, George Headley, Brian Lara, Clive Lloyd, Malcolm Marshall, Sir Andy Roberts, Alvin Kallicharran, Rohan Kanhai, Sir Frank Worrell, Sir Clyde Walcott, Sir Everton Weekes, Sir Curtly Ambrose, Michael Holding, Courtney Walsh, Joel Garner and Sir Viv Richards have all been inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.[1]
The West Indies have won the ICC Cricket World Cup twice, in 1975 and 1979, the ICC World Twenty20 once, in 2012, the ICC Champions Trophy once, in 2004, and were runners up in the 1983 Cricket World Cup in 1983 and Under 19 Cricket World Cup in 2004. The first cricket team to win the World Cup twice, their record was surpassed by four World Cup wins by Australia, and equalled by India in 2011. West Indies are also the first team to win back to back World Cups, since surpassed by three consecutive World Cup wins by Australia (1999, 2003 and 2007). West Indies is the first team to appear in three consecutive World Cup finals (1975, 1979 and 1983), since surpassed by four consecutive World Cup finals appearances by Australia (1996, 1999, 2003 and 2007).
Affiliates in West Indies Cricket Board
The West Indies Cricket Board, the governing body of the team, consists of the six cricket associations of Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Leeward Islands and Windward Islands. The Leeward Islands Cricket Association consists of associations of one sovereign state (Antigua and Barbuda), the two entities of Saint Kitts and Nevis, three British Overseas Territories (Anguilla, Montserrat and British Virgin Islands) and two other dependencies (US Virgin Islands and Sint Maarten). The Windward Islands Cricket Board of Control consists of associations of four sovereign states (Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines).
Currently, Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands, other historical parts of the former West Indies Federation and now British Overseas Territories, have their own teams.
National teams also exist for the various islands, which, as they are all separate countries, very much keep their local identities and support their local favourites. These national teams take part in the West Indian first-class competition, the Carib Beer Cup (earlier known as the Busta Cup, Shell Shield and various other names).[2] It is also common for other international teams to play the island teams for warm-up games before they take on the combined West Indies team.
The official population number for those countries and dependencies is estimated to around 6 million, which is larger than Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.
The member association of WICB are:
Barbados Cricket Association (BCA)
Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)
Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA)
Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB)
Leeward Islands Cricket Association (LICA); itself composed of:
Anguilla Cricket Association
Antigua and Barbuda Cricket Association
British Virgin Islands Cricket Association
Montserrat Cricket Association
Nevis Cricket Association (for the island of Nevis alone)
St. Kitts Cricket Association (for the island of St. Kitts alone)
St. Maarten Cricket Association (for the Dutch part Sint Maarten)
United States Virgin Islands Cricket Association
Windward Islands Cricket Board of Control (WICBC); itself composed of:
Dominica Cricket Association
Grenada Cricket Association
St. Lucia Cricket Association
St. Vincent & the Grenadines Cricket Association
Potential future members[edit]
Saint Martin (for the French part of St. Maarten alone), affiliate of Leeward Islands Cricket Association
Saba (for Saba Island, dependency of Netherlands), affiliate of Leeward Islands Cricket Association
Sint Eustatius (for Sint Eustatius Island, dependency of Netherlands), affiliate of Leeward Islands Cricket Association
Saint Barthélemy (for Saint Barthélemy Island, dependency of France), affiliate of Leeward Islands Cricket Association
Guadeloupe (for Guadeloupe, dependency of France), affiliate of Leeward Islands Cricket Association
Martinique (for Martinique, dependency of France), affiliate of Windward Islands Cricket Board of Control
History
Main article: History of the West Indian cricket team
Learie Constantine, who played Test cricket in the 1920s and 1930s, was one of the first great West Indian players.
The West Indies have won four major tournament titles: the World Cup twice, the Champions Trophy once, and most recently the World Twenty20 once. The last was under the captaincy of Darren Sammy in October 2012.
The history of the West Indies cricket team began in the 1890s, when the first representative sides were selected to play visiting English sides. The WICB joined the sport's international ruling body, the Imperial Cricket Conference, in 1926,[3] and played their first official international match, granted Test status, in 1928,[4] thus becoming the fourth Test nation.
The last series the West Indies played before the outbreak of the Second World War was against England in 1939. There followed a hiatus that lasted until January 1948 when the MCC toured the West Indies.[5] Of the West Indies players in that first match after the war only Gerry Gomez, George Headley, Jeffrey Stollmeyer, and Foffie Williams had previously played Test cricket.[6] In 1948, leg spinner Wilfred Ferguson became the first West Indian bowler to take ten wickets in a Test, finishing with 11/229 in a match against England;[7] later that same year Hines Johnson became the first West Indies fast bowler to achieve the feat, managing 10/96 against the same opponents.[8] Although blessed with some great players in their early days as a Test nation, and beating England for the first time at Lord's on 29 June 1950, their successes remained sporadic until the 1960s when the side changed from a white-dominated to a black-dominated side. By the 1970s, the West Indies had a side recognised as unofficial world champions, a reputation they retained throughout the 1980s.[9] During these glory years, the West Indies were noted for their four-man fast bowling attack, backed up by some of the best batsmen in the world. In 1976, fast bowler Michael Holding took 14/149 in a Test against England, setting a record which still stands today for best bowling figures in a Test by a West Indies bowler.[10][11]
The 1980s saw the team set a then-record streak of 11 consecutive Test victories in 1984 and inflict two 5–0 "blackwashes" against the old enemy of England. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, however, West Indian cricket declined, largely owing to the failure of the West Indian Cricket Board to move the game from an amateur pastime to a professional sport, coupled with the general economic decline in West Indian countries, and the team today is struggling to regain its past glory.
In their early days in the 1930s, the side represented the British colonies that would later form the West Indies Federation plus British Guiana.
Flag and anthem
Former flag of the West Indies cricket team used until 1999. This flag became a public domain. The current version is similar to this but the new one is copyrighted.
Most cricketing nations use their own national flags for cricketing purposes. However, as the West Indies represent a number of independent states and dependencies, there is no natural choice of flag. The WICB has, therefore, developed an insignia showing a palm tree and cricket stumps on a small sunny island (see the top of this article). This insignia, on a maroon background, makes up the West Indian flag. The background sometimes has a white stripe above a green stripe, which is separated by a maroon stripe, passing horizontally through the middle of the background.[12] Prior to 1999, the WICB(C) had used a similar insignia featuring a palm tree and an island, but there were no stumps and, instead of the sun, there was the constellation Orion.
For ICC tournaments, "Rally Round the West Indies" by David Rudder is used as the team's anthem.
Venues
Queen's Park Oval, Trinidad
The following eleven stadia have been used for at least one Test match.[13] The number of Tests played at each venue followed by the number of One Day Internationals and twenty20 internationals played at that venue is in brackets as of 11 July 2011:
Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad (58/61/3)
The Queen's Park Oval has hosted more Test matches than any other ground in the Caribbean and first hosted a Test match in 1930. The ground is considered one of the most picturesque venues in the world of cricket, featuring the view Trinidad's Northern Range. It has a capacity of over 25,000.
Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados (48/30/13)
Kensington Oval hosted the region's first Test match in 1930 and is recognised as the 'Mecca' of West Indies cricket. It also played host to the first-ever Test triple century, Andy Sandham's 325. Its capacity has been increased from 15,000 to its current 28,000 for the 2007 World Cup.
Bourda in Georgetown, Guyana (30/11/0)
Bourda first hosted a Test match in 1930. It was the only Test ground in South America (until the use of Providence), and the only one below sea level and with its own moat (to prevent the pitch from frequent flooding). It has a capacity of around 22,000.
Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica (45/33/0)
Sabina Park first hosted a Test match in 1930. The Blue Mountains, which are famed for their coffee, form the backdrop. Sabina Park played host to Garry Sobers' then world-record 365 not out. In 1998 the Test against England was abandoned here on the opening day because the pitch was too dangerous. It has a capacity of 15,000.
Antigua Recreation Ground in St John's, Antigua (22/11/0)
Antigua Recreation Ground first hosted a Test in 1981. Three Test triple centuries have been scored on this ground: Chris Gayle's 317 in 2005, and Brian Lara's world record scores of 375 in 1994 and 400 not out in 2004. The historic stadium was removed from the roster of grounds hosting international matches in June 2006, to make way for the island's new cricket stadium, being constructed 3 miles outside the capital city expected to be completed in time for its hosting of matches for Cricket World Cup 2007. However, after the abandoned Test match between England and the West Indies in February 2009 at the new North Sound ground, Test cricket returned to the ARG.
Arnos Vale in Arnos Vale, Kingstown, St Vincent (2/23/0)
The Arnos Vale Ground a.k.a. The Playing Fields first hosted a Test in 1997.
National Cricket Stadium in St George's, Grenada (2/16/0)
Queen's Park, Grenada first hosted a Test in 2002.
Beausejour Stadium in Gros Islet, St Lucia (3/23/12)
The Beausejour Stadium first hosted a Test in 2003. It has a capacity of 12,000. This was the first stadium in the Caribbean to host a day-night cricket match. The match was between the West Indies and Zimbabwe. New Zealand is scheduled to play a test in 2014 to mark the return to test cricket after a break of 8 years.
Warner Park Stadium in Basseterre, St Kitts (3/13/1)
The Warner Park Sporting Complex hosted its first One Day International on 23 May 2006 and its first Test match on 22 June 2006. The stadium has a permanent capacity of 8,000, with provisions for temporary stands to enable the hosting figure to past 10,000.
Providence Stadium in Georgetown, Guyana (2/11/6)
The Providence Stadium hosted its first One Day International on 28 March 2007 for the 2007 Cricket World Cup and its first Test match on 22 March 2008. The stadium has a permanent capacity of 15,000, and is to host Test cricket instead of Bourda.
Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua (3/10/2)
The Sir Viv Richards Stadium hosted its first One Day International on 27 March 2007 for the 2007 Cricket World Cup and its first Test match on 30 May 2008. The stadium has a permanent capacity of 10,000, and is to host Test cricket instead of the Antigua Recreation Ground.
Windsor Park Stadium in Roseau, Dominica (2/4/0)
Windsor Park is another major cricket ground in the West Indies and home venue for the West Indian team. Construction first started on it in 2005, and it finally opened in October 2007, too late to serve as a venue for the 2007 Cricket World Cup. It hosts first-class cricket and hosted its first test on 6 July 2011 against India, however it held its first One Day International on 26 July 2009. It has a seating capacity of 12,000.
Three further stadia have been used for One Day Internationals,[14] but not Test matches. The number of One Day Internationals played at each venue is in brackets:
Albion Sports Complex in Albion, Berbice, Guyana (5)
Mindoo Philip Park in Castries, St Lucia (2)
The old ground of Queen's Park in St George's, Grenada (1)
Clothing[edit]
Viv Richards, who has a Test batting average of 50.23 from 121 matches, captained the West Indies from 1983–84 to 1991, a period throughout which the West Indies were the best Test match side in the world.
When playing one-day cricket, the Windies wear a maroon-coloured shirt and trousers. The shirt also sports the logo of the West Indian Cricket Board and the name of their sponsors, at present, Digicel. The one-day cap is maroon with the WICB logo on the left of the front, with two yellow stripes.
When playing first-class cricket, in addition to their cricket flannels West Indian fielders sometimes wear a maroon sunhat with a wide brim. The WICB logo is on the front of the hat. Helmets are coloured similarly.
During World Series Cricket, coloured uniforms were adopted. The initial West Indies uniform was pink and was later changed to maroon to match their Test match caps. Grey was also added as a secondary colour. In some of their uniforms grey has been dominant over the traditional maroon.
West Indian women's cricket team
Main article: West Indian women's cricket team
The West Indian women's cricket team has a much lower profile than the men's team. They played 11 Test matches between 1975–76 and 1979, winning once, losing three times, and drawing the other games. Since then, they have only played one further Test match, a draw game against Pakistan in 2003–04.[15] They also have an infrequent record in One Day Internationals. A team from Trinidad and Tobago and a team from Jamaica played in the first women's World Cup in 1973, with both sides faring poorly, finishing fifth and sixth respectively out of a field of seven.[16] The Windies united as a team to play their first ODI in 1979, but thereafter did not play until the 1993 World Cup. The side has never been one of the leading sides in the world, however, with their main success being achieving second place in the International Women's Cricket Council Trophy, a competition for the second tier of women's national cricket teams, in 2003. They finished in fifth place in the most recent World Cup, which was held in 2004–05. Their overall record in one-dayers is to have played 45, won 17, lost 27 with one no result.[17]
Because of the women's side's relatively low profile, there are few well-known names in the game. The most notable is probably Nadine George, a wicket-keeper/batsman, who became the first, and to date only, West Indian woman to score a Test century, in Karachi, Pakistan in 2003–04. George is a prominent supporter of sport in the West Indies, and in particular in her native St Lucia, and in 2005 was made an MBE by HRH The Prince of Wales for services to sport.
Squad