Quote:“It is great to be a blonde,” remarked Pamela Anderson of Baywatch fame. “With low expectations, it’s very easy to surprise people.”

The West Indies cricket team, currently contesting a series of One Day Internationals (ODIs) may be suffering from a bout of low expectations. The evidence for this is the reaction in some quarters after victory over India in the fourth match of the current ODI series. Many reading more into the victory than is really warranted.

Batting first on a slow Sir Vivian Richards Stadium surface in Antigua, the home side made what was thought to be a vastly inadequate 189/9 off their 50 overs. In response India fell for 178 in 49.4 overs, losing by 11 runs.

According to West Indies coach Stuart Law, the win placed them “one step closer to where we want to end up.” He went on to say, “I believe they’ve got the skill, I believe they’ve got the talent. If we just improve their work ethic and they’ve got to play a different game than they’re used to. As soon as we start realising that and start working towards that, I think we can start making progress.”

“Extremely proud,” is how captain Jason Holder described his feelings after the game. “We have copped a lot of criticism over the last four months as a team. We haven’t had the best results and people tend to write us off. The way the guys played today, I am extremely proud. Our backs were against the wall at the halfway stage and a lot of people didn’t expect us to win the game. But it shows what we have in us and I am really, really proud of the guys.”

The West Indies did well to emerge with a surprising win, but it is unlikely this result is a sign of what is to come in the future. This win does not mean that the West Indies are making strides, that they are becoming a better team in any way, or that they will now start winning more matches. Their bowling did well to recoup a game their batting almost lost. Yet this is but one game and it reveals little about the Caribbean side’s future prospects.

Quote:and win the only T20