Written by: Pranjal Khatiwada - 2022013, Grade X
Posted on: 01 November, 2020
West Indies cricket has its own history. They are said to be one of the most dangerous and undefeatable teams ever to grace this sport. The West Indian team of the past was the most feared team across the globe especially because of their pacers who could rip off any batting attack. The Motto of that team was “Kill”, simply kill, and they did what they said establishing a status for them which is still talked around.
Especially the West Indian team of the 70s and 80s were the ones that the whole world was feared of with the lights of an absolutely outstanding leader in Clive Llyod and the greatest of all time Sir Vivian Richards, Sir Garfield Sobers, the West Indies team had to be the best bowling attack during this period. The pace attack consisted of Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Joel Garner, and Colin Croft who could rip off any of the batting attacks. The West Indian team of the 70s was as brilliant as of the 80s but, especially there was something more in the 80s that it wasn’t in the 70s. The 70s team was led by a phenomenal leader Clive Llyod. During the 70s WICB (West Indian Cricket Board) banned some very important players of the pack because of the last and only test series lost in 15 years. The team was slowly rebuilding in the 80s, however, they continued to dominate as they did previously, establishing themself as one of the undefeatable and greatest Test Sides of all time. They were at their peak of winning, defeating England by 5-0 at their home and later on blackwashing England at their home. They also created a then-record by having 11 consecutive Test series victories which was a part of the still-standing record of winning 27 tests. In the period from 1980 to 1985–86 they won 10 out of 11 Test series, the 1981–82 series in Australia being drawn 1–1. Their only defeat in the One Day format at that time came against India in the 1983 World Cup final where surprisingly India defeated West Indies
Clive Llyod retired from Test cricket in the series against Australia. He is still regarded as one of the greatest captains ever to captain aside. Sir Vivian Richards was Clive Llyod’s successor, and he also continued their habit of winning with a bunch of new players. As with Llyod, the big fast pacers like Joel Garner and Michael Holding also retired. Their bowling was never a problem because still after the retirement of old horses, they found a tall Courtney Walsh, medium-pacer Ian Bishop, Patrick Patterson who was fastest among them all and Malcolm Marshall was at his peak and still being regarded as one of the best fast bowlers of that time period. After the retirement of Clive Llyod, their batting was the main problem, Sir Vivian Richards with Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes were still there, but it began to fall apart. They lost their best in that period. For the first time, they failed to qualify for the semifinals in the 1987 Cricket World Cup. And that became a regular habit in the decade to come.
The late, England’s Tony Greig also described the 80s team of West Indies as the best of all time. He was the one who was targeted in the 1984 series after making racist remarks on the player’s, resulting in him getting hurt by bouncers after bouncers from the West Indian quicks, leaving bruises all around his body, he was so badly treated that even he had to be hospitalized. All in all, there were some greats to come in West Indies cricket history, but they lost their aura of invincibility which they had till the middle of the decade. The West Indies team struggled a lot in the later decades to come, but they were and are still remembered and called the most fearsome team of all time.
