Former West Indies fast bowler Tino Best says that this young group of cricketers has shown that once you have the appetite and correct attitude, you will succeed and Cricket West Indies (CWI) must persist with them.
Best made his comments after the West Indies achieved the biggest ever successful run chase in the history of the game in Asia on Sunday. Set a mammoth 395 runs to defeat Bangladesh in the first match of the two-match series at Chattogram in Bangladesh, West Indies got home with three wickets to spare. It was the fifth-highest run chase ever and West Indies recorded its second victory. The record 418 is held by the Caribbean team achieved in Antigua in 2003.
The star of the show for the regional team was Barbadian Kyle Mayers who struck a brilliant unbeaten 210 on debut. He became the sixth player to score a double century in the fourth innings of a Test and the sixth to pass 200 on debut. He's the second West Indian to achieve the feat after Sir Lawrence Rowe did it in 1972.
Mayers' winning knock - lasted 310 balls and included 20 boundaries and seven sixes and is hailed as one of the finest seen in modern Test cricket.
Best was thrilled to see the performance of the youngster saying: "He was special even from the first innings when he got 40. This man can play and it is good to see him adopt that positive attitude out there. This is what brought home the victory for the West Indies. He went out there and believed in himself and it paid off in the end. I am sure his father Shirley Clarke, the former Barbados player who didn't get a fair break, will be very happy for his son today."
Best said that CWI should continue with this current crop of players as they have shown commitment.
"Who doesn't want to tour fine, but life is about grabbing opportunities and players like Mayers, Nkrumah Bonner and Joshua Da Silva have done that and I hope the board stick with these players."
The former manager of the West Indies team Omar Khan said the victory has eased the doom and gloom in T&T and Barbados.
"This win was truly magnificent and one has to give credit not only to Mayers but the entire team for their fighting spirit. We have been clamouring for performances like this. We have been calling on the players to play with pride, fight for the West Indies, and to come out against all odds and beat Bangladesh on the final day in their backyards was truly magnificent," said Khan.
"With the unfortunate death of Ezra Moseley, the former West Indies fast bowler in Barbados and the savage murders of young women in T&T, this win by the West Indies team has lifted the gloom somewhat.
"It is my hope that Mayers be an inspiration for the rest of the players who must see what once an opportunity is given, take it with both hands and you will do great things. Now the team has a great chance to win the series with one match to play and credit is really due to all of them."
