Dear Editor,
West Indies, at the start of the games would not have expected to meet England in the final simply because it was not seen as a tournament favourite.
In light, however, of what Mark Nicholas, one of England`s most recognisable commentators gratuitously said about the West Indies team, there could hardly have been an opponent against whom victory would have been sweeter. Without the slightest provocation, Nicholas, in assessing the team’s chances before the commencement of the games, without any thought for the feelings of the players or West Indians in general, dismissed the team with these words ‘West Indies are short of brains”. Translated into common English that meant he thought West Indian cricketers were too stupid to win such a big event. The pain felt by the players was eloquently expressed by captain Sammy on the eve of the game. I have followed cricket for decades. I have read several derisory comments. I have never read one so hurtful. If made by an opponent, it may have been rationalised as an attempt to gain a psychological advantage, but Nicholas is merely a widely read journalist.
The West Indies were required to score 19 runs to win in the last over. Carlos Brathwaite did the job by hitting four successive sixes. The bowler was Stokes who had success against New Zealand by bowling full tosses at the death. Stokes is a good young cricketer with a confrontational personality whose instincts would make it very difficult for him to hide the ball. Brathwaite, for those with the “brains” to properly assess cricketers, is as clean a six hitter as there is in the modern game. Together with Marlon Samuels, who would certainly be prominent among Nicholas`s list of the “brainless”, they simply did a number on the Brits to bring home the bacon. Because I was able to assess Stokes and Brathwaite from prior performances, I was likely one of the few people confident at the beginning of the twentieth over that the West Indies would win, although I thought two sixes and two fours more likely.
I would have preferred to concentrate more in this piece on the wonderful bowling performances of “big brain” Badree, “brainy” Bravo, and the aforesaid “doctor” Brathwaite, and the inimitable batting skill and elegance of Marlon Samuels, underappreciated by fans who do not look beneath the surface, but the sheer brazenness and insensitivity of Mark Nicholas, and the unwillingness of those with the requisite power to discipline him, made it incumbent on me to not ignore this demonstration of disdain by Nicholas on the day of this memorable victory.
I end with congratulations to the men`s and women`s teams with a special shout out to the eighteen year old stroke maker Mathews.
Yours faithfully,
Romain Pitt
