By Tony Becca, FROM THE BOUNDARY

THERE IS nothing like the taste of victory, especially so when it has not been experienced for a long time, particularly so when the odds, from the beginning, were against victory, and more so when it is achieved when all appears lost.

On Saturday, 25 years after their last victory in a major limited-overs tournament, the West Indies defeated England at The Oval to win the ICC Champions Trophy, and that in itself was a wonderful achievement.

What was really impressive, however, was that at one stage the West Indies appeared dead and ready to be buried before, in one of the greatest performances in the history of the limited-overs game, in a fairy tale comeback they recovered to snatch victory.

Set 218 to win, the West Indies were reeling at 147 for eight and everything pointed to an England victory when Courtney Browne and Ian Bradshaw stepped in and piloted them to victory with a solid, unbroken ninth-wicket partnership of 71.

GREAT VICTORY

It was a great victory and although the matured and experienced Browne and Bradshaw were the stars at the end, all the players deserve a ringing round of applause.

Going into the tournament, not many gave the West Indies a chance of winning it ­ not with Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, England, India and Pakistan also in the hunt.

In fact, with only one team from each of the four groups coming out of the first round and with South Africa in their group, not many believed that they would have made it to the second round.

In a wonderful performance, however, in a performance during which they fielded brilliantly, bowled brilliantly, and in the conditions, batted well ­ they brushed aside Bangladesh, knocked off South Africa and then knocked out Pakistan who had defeated India, and then England who had taken care of Australia, and in doing so had installed themselves as the favourites.

The ICC Champions Trophy is not the World Cup and limited-overs cricket is not Test cricket. The fact is that the West Indies, finalists in the NatWest limited-overs tournament earlier in the summer, took on the best in the world and defeated them.

What is even more significant, however, is that by storming to victory when things were tight against South Africa, by coming back to ambush England when all seemed lost, they played like champions.

Unlike the Test series against England, the West Indies played like a team and apart from their bowling where, in putting the ball in a good line and a good length, they did the basics well; apart from their batting where they batted brilliantly at times and fought like tigers at other times, they gave everything in the field.

It was great to see the West Indies players chasing every ball, fielding well, releasing the ball quickly, throwing the ball to the wicketkeeper with greater accuracy and taking not only most of their catches but also a few great ones.

To all the West Indians, congrats on a victory well deserved.

When the glasses are lifted, however, there should be a special toast to Browne and Bradshaw ­ to the two mature and experienced soldiers who, with England firing away and knocking off their teammates one by one, stood their ground, dodged bullet after bullet, before, with the target getting closer and closer, with the hunter becoming the hunted, countering with magnificent strokes.