An Ode to The Mavericks of Cricket - West Indies

'Champion, champion, champion', if you are wondering why these words seem to be on the lips of every cricket fans, then you have obviously missed one of the most memorable shows put up by any team of entertainers. (West Indies Close Gap With No. 1 India to One Point in ICC Rankings After World T20 Win)

The West Indies on Sunday won the 2016 ICC World T20 -- the only team to do so twice.

"Team of 15 winners" - dubbed by their own leader, Darren Sammy, even before they won the trophy.  (West Indies' Darren Sammy Hopes World T20 Triumph Will Spur Test Success)

But they are way more than that! (Darren Sammy Turns Emotional, Lashes Critics After West Indies Clinch World T20)

They are the bravest bunch of mavericks to ever walk this earth. A team of born entertainers, who had a massive point to prove.

And they did just that! And that too with a sort of aplomb and panache never seen before. (Carlos Brathwaite Admits He Miscued Six That Broke English Hearts in World T20 Final)

Rarely have you seen a visiting team being cheered on and get so much adoration by a set of fans, whose team they had knocked out. (When West Indies Rose Above Taunts, Disrespect to Turn Tables on Harsh Critics)

In the so called "real world", these very people who backed the Windies to the very end, would have been baying for their blood.

Probably that is the reason why they are called 'Calypso Charmers'.

Dwindling Fortunes

From the very top how the mighty had fallen! Or so we thought.

The West Indies, from ruling cricket, have had a slippery downward curve for way too long. And when it seemed all was lost, emerged these revolutionaries.

Left battered and bruised in Test cricket. Given no hope in the 50-over format. But the T20 is their arena and they were born for this format.

And like their predecessors, there is no one cricketer who has taken centrestage. It is the 'West Indies', who with all the swagger, that have made their mark and how!

The sport's resurgence has somewhat coincided with the rebirth of West Indies cricket.

T20 Gave West Indies The Much Needed Kick

Cricket was starting to lose its base, it needed something more. T20 cricket went places where the sport had never gone before.

Suddenly it became more appealing to people who had never looked at it twice. Packed houses greeted the players when they were starting to get used to empty stands. Dance, music and fireworks, it was a revolution like no other.

However, more importantly this revival ended up giving a lease of life to a region who had given up hope.

West Indies took to the format like fish to water and the players, who had been deemed too flashy and nonchalant, suddenly became the toast of the fraternity. Again!

They have sung and danced their way to the top and made everyone else do the same. They smiled, they laughed into the hearts of all people who saw the events unfold over a period of almost three weeks.

Despite all this, they will still fight for their future because it is in the hands of some people, who have forgotten the love of the game or maybe never had any.

These men deserve much more. They are entertainers par excellence. They are winners like no others.

And sadly, we might never see some of the key players ever don the maroon jersey again.