New Delhi, Feb 28 (IANS) The West Indies cricket team finally found some home support in the 2011 World Cup with a handful of Caribbean fans cheering for them during their match against the Netherlands at the Ferozeshah Kotla here Monday.
Guyanese Rawle Agard and Penelope Yearwood are two die-hard supporters who are following the team. In India, they feel very much at home – after all, Guyana has a larsge Indian-origin population.
‘It is great to be here in a country where cricket is the No.1 sport. It is same in the Caribbean as well,’ Rawle told IANS.
‘We might like a particular player from our country but we always supported the West Indies in international tournaments. We support them whether they win or lose,’ he said.
Rawle and Penelope hope to see their team in the final in Mumbai. Penelope admits it is tough as the two-time World Champions are not the same as they used to be in the 1980s.
Penelope, however, pointed out that the players still enjoy a huge fan following in their home islands.
‘Chris Gayle is a star there. And if you are from Trinidad, then you would think of the likes of Dwayne Bravo. Since I am from Guyana, I am looking forward to see Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan,’ she said.
Sadly, Rawle finds it tough to pick his favourite cricketer from the present bunch.
‘They were all great players but I would pick Sir Garfield Sobers as the best we have ever had. He was a great all-rounder,’ said Rawle.
