Chris Gayle, a name familiar with bashing the balls out of the ground for sixes. Sheldon Cottrell, a fast bowler who bowls at a fearsome pace. Nicolas Pooran and his gravity defying catch in the ongoing IPL2020. These 3 players come from all the three profiles in cricket and depict the raw aggression present in the Windies side. Although it’s perceived differently now, it was unimaginable in the 1950s and 60s. Little did anyone imagine that a country dominated by the Britishers during the colonial past would turn its fortunes in the sport of cricket through sheer passion and pave the way for these stars. Yes, this is the story of the original Windies team and how it came to be the team it is now.

Fire in Babylon is a documentary everyone interested in the Windies team and some of the greatest cricket ever played should watch. RIGHT NOW! It has the essence of the struggle the first “team” ever faced. It was the 4th team to gain a test-team status in the world in 1928 but the story of this documentary doesn’t involve the initial years for a simple reason, they were considered being a weak team struggling in the sport and they were a white dominated team till 1960s when they as multiple nations got their independence from their “Masters” and the players were indigenous to the land they played in. This was the first step and the starting point of fire in Babylon, where Frank Worrell was appointed as the first black captain of the independent Windies team. 

The success of the team was still sporadic until Clive Lloyd came into the picture as a father figure for many Windies players. He would guide them into a record-breaking journey and deliver some of the best pieces of cricket history to us. An emotional and inspiring journey which saw them start as “monkeys on the ground with flashes of brilliance” to the 15-year unbeaten world champions. Clive imbibed teamwork into the picture when there was none and it was banked upon by the Australians in 1975-76 tour inflicting a 5-1 series defeat. Humiliated, Clive analyzed the difference and pointed out the lack of fast bowling in the team. It is said that Clive himself travelled and scouted islands in search of fast bowlers. In came Michael holding and Andy Roberts, even though the cricket board opposed this decision. It just wasn’t the fast bowling he needed to add, it was the aggression and lethal mentality. The mentality that displayed resilience and the ability to strike back from any moment in the match. The team, well motivated, will crack any opposition at the time and to endure it were team India. After a comfortable win in the series against India, players filled with confidence travelled to England. 

England was a whole different scenario in the 1970s, and the team suffered from environment changes and racism across the British subcontinent. The conditions favouring England would have helped them if their captain wouldn’t have taunted Windies. “We will make them grovel!”, said by Tony Greig, met with severe hate & pace from the bowlers of Windies. The video of the same will make you (the watcher) “grovel”. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cozSq8XC-LU

The team took the comment too seriously, and that set the tone for the entire series. Given the world scenario apartheid in Africa and former slavery heritage, the comment just blew out of proportion. England slumped to a 0-3 loss in their own country. A victory over former masters?!

Running on the same form for the rest of the decade and continuing the form in the 1980s for a 15-test series unbeaten streak, winning 2 world cups and being the finalist in the 3rd consecutive world cup, fighting against their own government and being labelled as pirates to eventually uniting all the nations and fighting as one team! This team comprises legendary names such as Sir Vivian Richards, Joel Garner, Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall and so many more names. This same team gave rise to the aggression we saw later in the form of champions spawned every 3 years with Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, Brian Lara, Chanderpaul, Chris Gayle and the legacy continues. To experience it, I must insist that my readers watch the documentary and comment down below on your thoughts. It’s breathtaking and inspiring at the same point of time. This team came, they saw, they conquered and kept the crown for almost 1.5 decade. That is what Babylon is all about.

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Thank you for taking time out to read this article. It is going to be a part of a bigger genre where I explore sports documentaries and review it. This article is my take on this documentary. If you guys liked the article and want me to review for each (or any requested) documentaries, mention it in the comments below.