Decoding the West Indies Under-19 success story

The beauty of their win wasn't in their preparation, but in their execution at crunch moments.

Keacy Carty and Keemo Paul batted for 20.3 overs to wipe out the 69 remaining runs needed to win their first Under-19 World Cup title. There were pockets where an inevitable collapse looked a possibility, but the pair batted with the serenity and confidence that belied their age. Incredibly, Paul struck the only four and six in the partnership. Carty's answer when asked if it was a conscious effort gave you a peek into his temperament.
"Singles could have done it. We just needed 146 from 300 balls," he said.
Wait, that's not how West Indies do it these days, do they?
A careful, and not carefree approach, did the trick. Every run they took in the unbroken sixth-wicket stand indicated their willingness to grind it out and not look for glory hits. At no stage did they look nervous. They didn't seem to mind the odd miss or the fact that they were made to scrap and look ungainly, particularly against Mayank Dagar, the left-arm spinner, who troubled them with his loop and flight.