Marlon Samuels is one present West Indies player with whom I have good a relationship. Chris Gayle and Tino Best are others.  They are “old school” in this West Indies team! Younger players seem reluctant to communicate with former West Indies players, maybe it is just me, especially those who had successful playing careers, or who would be honest about abilities.
Professional sport is not for babies, so if you cannot take heat, leave the kitchen! Gayle is already 33, Samuels nearly 32, Best 31. They have been around a while, but they always have that same attitude that old heads had in the past; take no prisoners; always try to win, regardless! In passing, I was almost singular in calling for Samuels to be selected during that two-year hiatus. Nothing has yet been proved negatively, and Marlon is still very angry. He damned well should be!
Like Clive Lloyd’s and Viv Richards’ teams, Samuels, Gayle and Best are extremely tough boys, returning from quite tumultuous situations to play again. I maintain that professional sport is not a game! Thus, I was pleased to hear Samuels suggest, after West Indies won World Twenty20 that “when I go out on to the field, it is war!”  Yes, he and Bob Marley came from Jamaica; ‘War; war… rumours of war!’ Rahtid! But, while West Indies, Darren Sammy and team, Gayle and especially Samuels, who played such a crucial role in that final, were winning that final, I really had to spare a very sad thought for Sri Lanka.
How does a country and representatives, its professional sports team, handle losing four finals in a row? Since 1994, when I ventured into Sports journalism, Sri Lanka has always been the world’s best ambassadorial international cricketers, great respect and communications always emanating from them. I could never forget that, on arriving in Guyana at 2 am one morning to start 2008’s West Indies series, after travelling for almost 30 hours, Mahela Jayawardene still insisted on giving a full interview to gathered press. They are always magnificent representatives of their very similar and beautiful country!
Sri Lanka hosted ICC WT20 2012. Expectations were extremely high, given their recent losing history! If Tino’s tweet is to be believed, at least two civilian Sri Lankans committed suicide after they lost that final to West Indies. If anyone really thinks that sport is not taken seriously, then please do think again! Honestly, I would have much preferred Sri Lanka not to have been in that final at all, as I, like every other West Indian everywhere, surely hoped that West Indies would have won.
That, though, would also have meant that Sri Lanka would be losers in another final, again! No sports team, especially one as gracious as Sri Lanka’s senior cricket team, deserves that kind of pain! So, I am probably the only person who is not surprised that England’s Kevin Pietersen has been “reinstated” to England’s team to tour India next month. If you remember, I highlighted that as one of two bets that I made earlier this year, even as his Twitter snafu with his team-mates was evolving!
In England earlier this year, I played benefit games with folks like former England fast bowler Devon Malcolm and his former team-mates Mark Ramprakash, Gladstone Small and former West Indies opener Gordon Greenidge. Those affairs are always fun, as much real tough-guy cricket is spoken there! After one such game, I bet the English contingent that Pietersen would eventually be selected for India. The wager was ‘a drink each!’  So, if I enforce payment and do collect, I could be seriously drunk!
England can ill afford to go to India without its best batsman, regardless of his new media escapades! The suggestion last May was that KP had “retired” from limited overs cricket, when he could not get his way to only play in T20’s and not 50-overs games. He was not at ICC WT20 2012. England lost badly! In August, after making 149, versus South Africa, KP adroitly suggested that his entire international career might be over, as he “could not give assurances that the next Test, (at Lords), would not be his last.”
KP did not even play that Lords Test, but the writing was on the wall. England lost to South Africa; 2–0! Losing normally brings out desperation in combatants. After being destroyed by South Africa and not defending well at WT20 2012, England now needs Kevin Pietersen more than ever. To think that he would not be picked for that Indian tour is heresy, even lunacy! England cannot take losing anymore! Anyway, what is that deafening silence I hear after Trinidad & Tobago’s ungainly exit from Champions League 2012? According to Denesh Ramdin, that was bittersweet; being ICC WT20 champions, followed by T&T’s ousting at the first hurdle in South Africa. What a thing!  West Indies vice-captain Ramdin has another chance to personally redeem himself, with West Indies tour of Bangladesh, where West Indies must continue its winning ways. If Ramdin contributes substantially, he could be the winner, again, after losing! Enjoy!
-Colin Croft
Source: www.guardian.co.tt