Cricket swings to Calypso

It was an incredible win. And perhaps one that could be the start of the Windies' resurrection, writes Kadambari Murali. Scorecard

From the time you touch down in the British Isles, you get an overwhelming sense of grey. The skies are almost always leaden, the clothes people wear are generally either black or neutral shades guaranteed to depress you and there's a sense of mind-numbing sameness to everything.

Saturday was a typical English day. It was cold, intensely cold, there was a It was an incredible win. And perhaps one that could be the start of the resurrection of West Indies cricketnippy wind and it rained intermittently. In short, it was grey. A perfect ending to this colourless tournament.

But it was on this drab day, in conditions so dismal that sometimes it was a wonder that the ball could be seen, that West Indies kept their tryst with destiny and lifted their first world-level trophy in 25 years. It has been a long, long wait for cricket's greatest superpower to reassert itself on the world stage. Nineteen seventy-nine was almost forgotten.

And to be fair to the West Indies, they richly deserved to be champions. They have played with ebullient spirit and gritty commitment. On the way to the Champions Trophy final, they brushed aside Bangladesh (138 runs), South Africa (five wickets) and Pakistan (semi-final, seven wickets) in professional style and in the face of constant criticism from their former players.