West Indies' captain Brian Lara (left) and batsman Courtney Browne celebrate winning the ICC Champions Trophy one-day cricket final against England at The Oval, in London, on Saturday. West Indies held their nerve in near darkness to beat England by two wickets in a dramatic Champions Trophy final and lift their first major one-day title in 25 years.
- REUTERS LONDON, CMC:
EVEN THOUGH the West Indies have endured a terrible summer in England and were down for the count in the ICC Champions Trophy final on Saturday, the regional side never gave up hope of winning the prestigious final.
"We never gave up," captain Brian Lara said. "We believed something was going to happen for us this summer. This is really special - it's about time."
Ramnaresh Sarwan, the West Indies vice-captain, echoed Lara's sentiments, pointing out that they were always upbeat in the dressing room.
"Although we were in a difficult position, I've never seen us gel so much as a team and gel for each other," Sarwan, named Man of the Series, revealed.
CONFIDENT
"We were a bit silent for a while especially when Brian got out. But when we got within striking distance, we started to make a lot of noise and we were confident when we saw we only needed 30 more."
The West Indies were whitewashed by England in the Test series last month and even though they reached the final of the NatWest Limited Overs tournament, they were defeated by New Zealand.
At 147 for eight in search of 218 for victory, it seemed as if the West Indies' gloom was destined to continue but Courtney Browne and Ian Bradshaw combined in an unbroken, ninth wicket stand of 71 to secure victory.
"I think this could be the impetus we need to move forward," Lara said. "I hope the guys realise this and we're going to work really hard from now on."
He added: "Courtney Browne and Ian Bradshaw did it at the end. But it was a great team effort throughout the tournament."
