Some of my first cricket memories are of the West Indies side that toured in 1984-85, led by Clive Lloyd. There was an awe about their teams in that era.
We would always get thrashed in Perth, where the fast WACA pitch gave Windies’ pace attack even more venom, and our only chance for a consolation win was generally at the spin-friendly SCG.
In 2003, I was living in the UK and a few mates said they were heading to the Caribbean for a couple of Tests of the upcoming series between the two teams.
What I did not realise at the time was it would be the last time that the West Indies won a Test against the baggy green – with the way things look, maybe ever.
By the time I arrived for the third Test, in Barbados, Australia was already 2-0 up. The Aussie team was a bit different than usual, with Stuart MacGill filling in for Shane Warne while on his twelve-month suspension, and Adam Gilchrist batting at number six.
The Aussies won that Test easily, with Steve Waugh passing Sunil Gavaskar as second place on the all-time leading Test run-scorers list, and Jermaine Lawson taking a hat-trick over two innings.
Our accommodation was a small, empty resort, completing renovations after a hurricane. Reading between the lines, the site manager was probably earning a bit of unauthorised pocket money by having us stay, as he told us not to turn on the air conditioning. Turned out when we did, it worked perfectly. Turning it on only seemed reasonable, as he promised us that the pool would be filled with water “tomorrow”, and it never was – it may still not be!
The fourth Test, in Antigua, was a classic, as both teams scored 240 in the first innings. Day 2 will always be etched in memory. Australia had the ascendancy after Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden put on a huge opening partnership.
We ran on the field at the end of the day’s play. It hadn’t been an issue in Barbados, but this time we were smartly escorted off, straight to the party stand. It was a wonderful few hours, where the band and drums beat louder after play finished, and the vodka oranges just had a dash of orange.
Coming home, the accommodation resembled a war zone. Many of my mates were asleep in the front yard, having not quite made it to their beds. When we got to the ground on Day 3, even after eating our staple of barbecue chicken, we were not feeling much better. Compounding the issue, the Aussies hadn’t pressed home their advantage, even though we had set a world-record run chase.
By Day 4, the Windies – through Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, and to a lesser extent Brian Lara – were making the chase of 418 look possible. The day will be remembered for the spat between Glenn McGrath and Sarwan. What was said between the two came out the next day, after the youngest Australian batsman on tour – Michael ‘Pup’ Clarke – told his mates via an email, which had leaked.
On the final day, the West Indies needed 47 runs and had five wickets in hand. The home crowd could sense the opportunity, and started letting us know they were going to win. “We will barbecue your kangaroo,” they said of our inflatable mascot, which I quite enjoyed.
But when a couple of quick wickets fell, we were a chance again. A dubious decision to dismiss Ridley Jacobs had the locals going nuts, and before we knew it the riot police were suddenly manning the boundary. One of the lads who wanted to spend the morning in some cheaper seats with the locals was left regretting that decision.
Ultimately, the West Indies held off the Aussies to record a famous win.
I returned home, vowing to give rum a wide berth for a while.
This current series is sadly already over, and has become an opportunity for the Aussies to improve their averages. Let’s hope the West Indies can rebuild – but that looks a tougher assignment than the Melbourne Demons.
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