The West Indies team has been going through a torrid time for a while now, but it seems like the sky is getting brighter as the men from the Caribbean are putting in the hard yards in every game that they are playing.
The youngsters are coming in, expressing themselves at the greatest stage and showing their eagerness to do better not just for themselves but for the Caribbean cricket.
It is after 2007 that the Windies have enjoyed success over the England team in the 50-over format and 2.5 years long wait of winning a bilateral against a full member nation. While the second ODI was about the young gun Sherfane Rutherford, the third one will go down in history for another youngster, Matthew Forde.
The Shai Hope-led group is booming with joy as they clinch an ODI series by 2-1 against the 2019 World Cup champions, England.
This young group, with the likes of Alick Athanaze, Keacy Carty, Sherfane Rutherford, and Matthew Forde did nothing short of extraordinary in the recently concluded ODI series.
Who is Matthew Forde, and how he stirred the Windies cricket?
After the England team levelled the series with a victory in the second game, it all came down to the third and final ODI.
The West Indies brought in the tall right-arm seamer Matthew Forde in place of Oshane Thomas, and all he took was a mere five deliveries to announce himself at the greatest stage, taking the wicket of Phil Salt in the very first over of the innings.
The 22-year-old Barbadian fast bowler took the new ball and made the English dance to his melodies. He scalped three wickets, which included those of Phil Salt, Zak Crawley and Will Jacks.
In so doing, he set the tone for his team and shook things up, thus making his debut memorable.
He did not stop here. Despite Keacy Carty and Alick Athanaze’s contributions with the bat, the Windies were six down and still needed over 50 runs.
But there came Matthew Forde in the middle, who could do nothing wrong on this day and went on to stitch a partnership of 54 runs, scoring 13 including a boundary, and was adjudged as the Player of the Match, taking the series home for the Caribbean with his all-round show.
Along with his hit-the-deck bowling abilities, Forde possesses the skill to use the long handle as well.
The Lankan Premier League was the key witness to his batting show-off, as he was promoted to bat at number four in the game against Galle Gladiators, where he also took four wickets.
His team, Dambulla, were 11/2 while chasing 130, and he went on to smash his maiden T20 half-century, helping his team win comprehensively.
He is no stranger to competitive cricket as he has been playing the T20 leagues all around the world and was also the joint-highest wicket-taker in the Global T20 League, taking his team to the finals.
The way Matthew Forde performed in his very first international game not only defines Forde’s talent but also demonstrates his ability to do well under pressure. Giving just 29 runs in his first international spell of eight overs and picking up three wickets, his debut for Caribbean cricket will go down in history along with the historic series win over England.
Image source– Kensingtonovalbarbados
