<p>There had been nothing much to cheer for the West Indian cricket fans once their descend from the top started in the mid 90s. There were occasional reminders about a golden past like their triumph in the 2004 Champions Trophy, and the Caribbeans desperately needed a miracle moment to prevent further erosion of fan base at home. It came in the most unlikely place -- Sri Lanka. On the face of it, the West Indians didn’t have the ammuntion to make an impact on the slow, dustbowls of Sri Lanka. <br /><br /></p>.<p>A 17-run defeat to Australia in the first qualification match in Group B justified that popular notion and a rain-enforced abandonment of their match against Ireland further robbed them of match practice. However, having already secured a berth in the Super Eight the West Indians showed great nerves to notch up two wins against England and New Zealand (via the one-over Eliminator). But they were a completely different force in the semifinals against Australia played at Colombo. <br /><br />Once Chris Gayle found his range with a 41-ball 75, West Indies amassed a 200-plus total, and pacer Ravi Rampaul grabbed three wickets to wreck the Australian middle-order as Windies stormed into the final. <br /><br />They had a formidable foe in Sri Lanka to negate in the title round. The unorthodox ways of Ajantha Mendis (4-12) was too hot for West Indian batsmen to handle, settling for a seemingly below par 137 for six. Marlon Samuels, whose moodiness often overshadows his brilliance, chose the perfect stage to exhibit his skills, and his 56-ball 78 formed the backbone of the West Indian total. <br /><br />West Indies too had an unorthodox bowler in their ranks in Sunil Narine and he grabbed three wickets for nine runs to blow away the Lankans for a mere 101, setting off a wild Caribbean party. <br /><br />India for the third successive edition of the tournament failed to reach the semifinals despite producing a reasonable effort. But that remained a slightly disappointing footnote as the world relished a rare West Indian victory. <br /><br />Brief scores (Final): West Indies: 137/6 in 20 overs (Marlon Samuels 78; Darren Sammy 26 n.o.; Ajantha Mendis 4-12) bt Sri Lanka: 101 all out in 18.4 overs (Mahela Jayawardene 33; Sunil Narine 3-9, Sammy 2-6). </p>
<p>There had been nothing much to cheer for the West Indian cricket fans once their descend from the top started in the mid 90s. There were occasional reminders about a golden past like their triumph in the 2004 Champions Trophy, and the Caribbeans desperately needed a miracle moment to prevent further erosion of fan base at home. It came in the most unlikely place -- Sri Lanka. On the face of it, the West Indians didn’t have the ammuntion to make an impact on the slow, dustbowls of Sri Lanka. <br /><br /></p>.<p>A 17-run defeat to Australia in the first qualification match in Group B justified that popular notion and a rain-enforced abandonment of their match against Ireland further robbed them of match practice. However, having already secured a berth in the Super Eight the West Indians showed great nerves to notch up two wins against England and New Zealand (via the one-over Eliminator). But they were a completely different force in the semifinals against Australia played at Colombo. <br /><br />Once Chris Gayle found his range with a 41-ball 75, West Indies amassed a 200-plus total, and pacer Ravi Rampaul grabbed three wickets to wreck the Australian middle-order as Windies stormed into the final. <br /><br />They had a formidable foe in Sri Lanka to negate in the title round. The unorthodox ways of Ajantha Mendis (4-12) was too hot for West Indian batsmen to handle, settling for a seemingly below par 137 for six. Marlon Samuels, whose moodiness often overshadows his brilliance, chose the perfect stage to exhibit his skills, and his 56-ball 78 formed the backbone of the West Indian total. <br /><br />West Indies too had an unorthodox bowler in their ranks in Sunil Narine and he grabbed three wickets for nine runs to blow away the Lankans for a mere 101, setting off a wild Caribbean party. <br /><br />India for the third successive edition of the tournament failed to reach the semifinals despite producing a reasonable effort. But that remained a slightly disappointing footnote as the world relished a rare West Indian victory. <br /><br />Brief scores (Final): West Indies: 137/6 in 20 overs (Marlon Samuels 78; Darren Sammy 26 n.o.; Ajantha Mendis 4-12) bt Sri Lanka: 101 all out in 18.4 overs (Mahela Jayawardene 33; Sunil Narine 3-9, Sammy 2-6). </p>
