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Fire in Babylon, the wonderful film about the rise of the West Indies side in the 1970s, spends a considerable amount of screen time to emphasize why Clive Lloyd came to be a much veneered leader. At a time when the slave islands were lost and without direction, he moulded a set of men, each of different nationalities and, many possessing a wealth of raw, unmoulded skill, into a pack of hunters. Apart from that, Lloyd was a hungry left-hander who devoured bowling line-ups, in the process leading by example. Darren Sammy is nothing like Lloyd, indeed it would be blasphemous to compare him to the great Guyanese. But he now will be seated with Lloyd, having led West Indies to a World Cup win, albeit in a 20-over version. However what he does in the next few months, or maybe years, will determine whether he manages to go anywhere close to Lloyd, as far as West Indies cricket is concerned. Cricket had been in turmoil in the Caribbean, off and on the pitch for the past few years. Apart from the well publicized fall-out with Chris Gayle, even Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan had problems with the management. Marlon Samuels had to cope with a 2 year ban and a second string side represented West Indies thanks to a contractual fall out. In the midst, there were murmurs of Trinidad & Tobago wanting to separate and field their own side in international cricket. To make matters worse, West Indies went without a Test series win at home against a non-minnow nations for 4 years before clinching the series against New Zealand earlier this year. The series win was possible because they were able to field a full strength side in a Test match after quite sometime, with members like Gayle and Sunil Narine in the lineup. New Zealand are by no means a strong Test side, but the way the hosts conquered them, showed that they meant business. The next step was the T20 World Cup. Yes, they won it, but there were a few other things that did not go unnoticed. A team which seemed prone to disintegration and in-fighting did everything to dispel those notions, exuberating heartfelt camaraderie. Players supported each other, with Keiron Pollard thanking Gayle for his motivating words when he came out to bat against Australia in the semi-final. The other important point to note is that every player enjoyed the success of the other and quite literally, celebrated it like his own. Steve Waugh mentioned in his autobiography that 'a team's victory was imminent when the players were seen laughing and enjoying their net sessions together.' There is nothing to say that it doesn't hold true for a side which does that out in the centre. Sammy's side have proven just that. But is that all? Have they claimed the summit? I'd rather think not. The skipper said in as many words that this was 'just a start and a step in the right direction.' Presumably the right direction should be to mould West Indies into a potent Test team once again and their next assignment is in a country, which was the catalyst for the revival of West Indies cricket in 1975-76. But while a 5-1 scoreline and bruised bodies motivated Clive Lloyd's side to transform themselves, Sammy will have to ensure that they return with just more than a drawn series. Primarily the effort has to come from the management so that the players feel more secure while playing in the maroons or whites. A repeat of the contracts issue or the miscommunication in the case of Gayle will mean that this step forward will be nullified. Looking at the performances on the field, it is quite natural for the team to be carried away by this win, but Sammy and his support staff, must identify certain drawbacks in this side. Apart from Gayle and Samuels, none of the batsmen displayed any sort of consistency in playing solid knocks. Charles, who impressed against England, was a total failure in the rest of the tournament. If West Indies are to develop into a world-beating side, it is important to find an opener, in all formats, who can take some pressure off Gayle or take the responsibility at a later stage. The middle order looks very fragile and though Pollard is adequate for ODIs, the Test side is too over-dependent on Chanderpaul. Darren Bravo is seen as the answer to that question mark and it remains to be seen how he responds in the future. Ravi Rampaul and Fidel Edwards continue to be the torch-bearers of the famed Caribbean speedsters, but West Indies rely quite a lot on spin. The board must ensure that the talismanic Narine isn't lost to T20 leagues and continue to unearth and shape talents like Samuel Badree and Devendra Bishoo. The reception that the world audience gave 'Fire in Babylon' reiterated how much the mighty West Indian sides of the 70s and 80s were loved. This time however, a West Indies side competing with the top sides will not only mean renewed interest for the game, but a similar joy as well.