Windies look to ignite passion
On home turf four years ago, the former champions made it to the Super Eights before losing five out of six matches, prompting the then captain Brian Lara to announce his international retirement.
“We want to get the record straight this time,” said captain Chris Gayle. “There are a lot of expectations from people back home. We want to go all out for them. This is my third World Cup [and] I’m treating it like my final one.”
The West Indies won the first two World Cups in 1975 and 1979 but have since struggled to keep pace with the best in the game. Since 2007, they have been dogged by in-fighting, selection rows and wrangling between players and the board.
Gayle, 31, was stripped of his captaincy last year after he refused a central contract and inexperienced Darren Sammy was promoted to lead. They have also slipped to number nine in One-Day International rankings behind Bangladesh and have not beaten a Test side in an ODI since June, 2009.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 11th, 2011.
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