This men’s T20 World Cup has seen some fine performances but none more powerful than in Trinidad last week. To a packed house under lights, players and supporters misty eyed in a pin-drop atmosphere, David Rudder delivered a live rendition of Rally ’Round the West Indies, the calypso he wrote in the early 1990s that still serves as the region’s cricket anthem.
Rudder, 71, has scaled back this past year after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s but his spirit utterly prevailed on the night, West Indies and their supporters transfixed by the words and then living them out in a rousing comeback win against New Zealand.
For Akeal Hosein, a fellow Trini who sung the words and was then central to the cause, there are still goosebumps about it now. “It was just breathtaking, just to stand there and witness him live,” says Hosein, sitting down for a chat at the team hotel a day out from Wednesday’s Super Eight opener with England.
“To have him come down and give his 100%, to make the fans happy and do exactly what the song said, was just fantastic. I had to go across to him afterwards and pay my respects. I was lost for words, so I just said: ‘Thank you, legend’ and hugged him for about 10 seconds.”
With four wins from four after the group stage (before the England match), West Indies have been leaning into the anthem under Rovman Powell’s captaincy, his squad from seven different countries sharing the lyrics in their WhatsApp group before the tournament and united by its sentiment. The buzz on the islands visited these past two weeks has been pretty palpable, too; a sense something could be stirring for this unique multinational team and their public.
“The West Indies is still the ultimate goal for any young cricketer,” says Hosein. “Yes, there are franchise leagues and all of that. But the feeling of putting on the maroon, I don’t think there is a more special feeling than that. Once selected, everyone comes together, it’s just a great feeling. Comrades. Yeah, we’re from different countries but that’s what makes us more special. We all piece together the puzzle. And we have our home crowd behind us.”
Aged 31 but only three years an international, Hosein’s own journey has come into focus during this World Cup after an excellent profile on ESPNCricinfo by the freelance journalist Cameron Ponsonby. It charts Hosein’s rise from Laventille, the eastern suburb in Port-of-Spain that features in Rudder’s music and has long experienced gang violence and an alarming murder rate. As Hosein puts it himself: “It is always in the public eye for the wrong things.
“It is good to see some good light shed on that area. There are people from my area with aspirations and dreams, all they need is a little push. Yes, there is bit of negative side but that’s not the community. There were times [growing up] when it was difficult and kinda messy, but you try to be on the safe side. There were times of peace and it was beautiful. Being in that area, it’s not always going to be good … but there were good times.
“I had one or two friends who were lost to that [gang] lifestyle, and friends that I saved also; guys who were heading in different directions that I pulled them out of it. Sometimes people feel lost and it’s right there in front of them, it might seem the easiest path, some do stray.”
Hosein went “all in” on cricket. He was spotted playing for Success Laventille aged 13 and offered a place at Fatima College and later Queen’s Park Cricket Club, two prestigious places, not least for someone from his postcode. At the latter he was mentored by Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine, the pair offering guidance beyond cricket and even financial support – cheap rent, help finding a job – at a time when, publicly, that generation of West Indian cricketers were sometimes portrayed as being only in it for themselves.
Pollard, currently with England, has been and remains a “father” in cricket, while Narine, 552 Twenty20 wickets and counting, is directly advising about his craft, recently calling for his apprentice to deploy a couple of new mystery deliveries in this World T20. “He’s told me: ‘It’s time, be brave’,” says Hosein, happily teasing the prospect like Shane Warne back in the day.
Not that the current tools are too shabby, Hosein having climbed into the top 10 bowlers in T20 international cricket since his debut for West Indies in 2021. As well as the orthodox finger spin and smart use of the crease, Hosein has an old-school, classical arm ball. A cantered seam that rotates perfectly as it curves through the soupy Caribbean air and drifts in with the breeze, it is a chef’s kiss of a delivery that means he challenges both edges of the bat.
“I don’t know if it’s ‘old school’ because I haven’t seen many people do it,” laughs Hosein, nine wickets to the good after the first four games. “I started out bowling left-arm [wrist-spin] and medium pace. My first ball for West Indies Under-19s was medium. As a wrist-spinner I had an injury and during rehab my coach asked me to try out orthodox. It clicked but I knew as a finger spinner I had to discover new variations so I was always trying new things.
“There’s been analysis [of the arm ball] in the media recently but I’m not worried about that. I think it’s who is in front of you and what is best suited to getting them out.”
One area Hosein feels he “deserves more credit” for is for doing it in the powerplay, when only two fielders are allowed outside the circle. “A lot of people don’t see how hard it is,” he adds.
Along with Narine, Dwayne Bravo has been a third Trini mentor here, helping to instil a seamer’s mentality. Given the way Hosein surveys conditions – sniffing the air’s potential for lateral movement and hatching a plan with the new ball – in many ways he is one.
The confidence is there; during our 20-minute conversation Hosein used the phrase “when we win the World Cup” – as opposed to “if” – more than once. There is pride at overcoming a financial landscape tilted against West Indies; making the most of resources. It is allied with a belief it is now payback time after being bundled out of the first round of the last men’s T20 World Cup and then missing out on last year’s 50-over World Cup altogether.
“For us it is a case of ‘when’,” he says, as sun breaks through cloud in St Lucia and we seek shade in the lobby. “After some of the senior guys moved on, we took some serious beatings. We have been heartbroken, and embarrassed. Man, we have been through it all. It’s time we distribute some of that feeling on to other teams. I think we deserve it.”
T20 may be a fickle format but West Indies are rallying, all right.
