West Indies’ failure to qualify for last year’s 50-over World Cup was billed as a new low in a story of sad cricketing decline.
It was the first time in men’s World Cups across either format, stretching back 20 renewals and spanning six decades, that, as the cliche goes, everyone’s favourite second team had not been present. As their own side crashed and burned, England fans missed the fallback more than most.
