Oasis in the Desert

After ten years in the desert, winning the ICC Champions Trophy was a welcome oasis. It's been a long time since I could hold my head high around my Indian, Aussie, and South African friends after a major cricket event involving the West Indies. For that, I thank the team, and in particular Ian Bradshaw and Courtney Browne for holding their nerve when it mattered most.

But as the afterglow slowly fades, I am forced to ask myself what has really changed, and I don't like the inevitable answer. We have not reached the Promised Land, and as this oasis dries up we will most likely find ourselves once again in the desert.

The West Indies may now be ranked fourth on the one day rankings, but the Test ranking of eighth remains a truer reflection of the state of cricket in the Caribbean.

Limited overs cricket can be fun when it's good, but it is far less a test of a team's ability than the aptly named longer version. One day cricket suits the ice-and-fire West Indies because they can be brilliant in short bursts, which is enough to win an ODI. Variables like the toss have a much bigger bearing on the outcome in this type of game, and a batsman can ride his luck to good effect more often than in first class cricket. Most importantly, bowlers only have to contain, and the lack of a penetrative bowler (or four) doesn't prevent a team from winning.

Given all this, the selectors are to be commended for picking a squad that makes best use of what is available.

Even so, the reality is that not one of the victories on the way to the Trophy were convincing. Even the one over Bangladesh fell short, as the team failed to reach the target run rate that would have ensured them a semi-final berth had the next match had been rained out. In fact, the glorious final was another example of the batting crumbling, only to be rescued by the tail end. In many ways, it was more a case of England failing than the West Indies succeeding.

As an aside, at least that failure might mute the English press who all summer have been heralding the re-awakening of England as a cricket superpower. Sorry lads, beating the West Indies just doesn't count for as much as it used to.

So while we all savour the moment, no one should be fooled for a moment into thinking that this small bend in the road is the long awaited corner. That still lies far ahead on the road, especially when you have to travel by camel.