Red-Eye Days Are Here Again

The time has come once again for die-hard West Indies fans to embrace the idea of losing sleep. This of course will be as a result of a greater cause, the love of our most cherished West Indies team that will be in action in Zimbabwe and South Africa from November to February.

For those of us that have been there before, we know exactly what this means. Matches are expected to start somewhere between four and five in the morning with the days play ending between eleven and noon.

Needless to say there will be several late arrivals for work and school, as well as some heads nodding off over the work desk and in the classroom. It is a wonder that for most of us who cringe at the sound of the alarm clock, cricket can have us jumping out of bed bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at these unholy hours.

So much is the love for this sport and our team, we have no reluctance to part with the warmth of our beds. The need to follow the match live and to lend moral support from thousands of miles away far supersedes the desire for sleep. It is almost a necessity, an obsession, because no matter the state of the match or the series we are still there tuning in morning after morning hoping and praying and rooting our team on.

One would be hard-pressed to think of a worse time for West Indies fans than the previous tour of South Africa. We were shocked, numbed, depressed, but still we watched and waited for something to smile about. We can only hope that things will be different this time around, and that we will be going to work tired, but with a smile on our face and a spring in our step, instead of ruing the fact that we woke up for nothing.

There is nothing that can evoke the simultaneous emotions of Caribbean people all over the world like the West Indies team. We will be cheering, shouting and grieving at the same time no matter where we are. Hopefully our boys are aware of the sacrifices we will be making for the next few months on their behalf, and that they will put out their best effort to make our numerous vigils enjoyable.

Make no mistake though, win, lose or draw, we are with them all the way. All you cricket fans start getting into the habit of going to bed early or we will be sleepwalking for the next few months!