Quote:Almost a decade ago in December 2007, when the Windies caught an under-cooked South Africa unawares and beat them in Port Elizabeth, many in the Caribbean thought the team was approaching a new era under the inspired leadership of Chris Gayle. But the home team quickly got into gear, easily winning the following two games to take the series 2-1.
More recently, there were wins over England in Barbados in 2015, over Pakistan in Sharjah in October 2016 and in Barbados five months ago, and there was also a remarkable fightback to draw a game against India in Jamaica just over a year ago. But the elation of the fans after those better-than-usual performances were short lived and the team soon returned to its old ways. Instead of turning the corner each time, they actually made U-turns, heading back to the mire from which they needed to escape.
But this won't be one of those times. This latest round of rejuvenation hints at being more enduring. This resurgence seems sustainable since it is undergirded by a foundation that appears to be sturdier than it has been in the past. Previous wins that brought false hope were built on sand. This time it's built on solid rock. The Tests they won in the last few years were based on good performances by one or two players. This time they excelled as a team.
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