Akeal Hosein: ‘West Indies is still the ultimate goal for any young cricketer’ | West Indies cricket team
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This Men’s T20 World Cup saw some good performances, but none more powerful than the one in Trinidad last week. In front of a packed house under lights, with blurred vision of players and supporters in an atmosphere of numbness, David Rudder gave a live performance of Rally ‘Round the West Indies, a calypso he wrote in the early 1990s which still serves as the region’s cricket anthem.
Rudder, 71, declined last year after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, but his spirit completely prevailed overnightWest Indies and their supporters riveted by the words and then live them out in a a thrilling comeback win against New Zealand.
For Akeal Hosein, a fellow Trini who sang the words and was central to the cause then, still bristles about it now. “It was just breathtaking, just standing there and watching it live,” says Hossain, sitting down for a chat in the team hotel the day after Wednesday’s Super Eight opener with England.
“To have him come down and give his 100%, make the fans happy and do exactly what the song says was just fantastic. Then I had to go to him and pay my respects. I was at a loss 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 lean on the anthem under the captaincy of Rovman Powell, his seven-nation squad sharing the lyrics in their pre-tournament WhatsApp group and united by their sentiments. The noise of the islands visited during the last fortnight was also quite palpable; a sense that something could excite this unique multinational team and their audience.
“West Indies is still the ultimate goal for any young cricketer,” says Hossain. “Yeah, there are franchise leagues and all that. But the feeling of putting the maroon on, I don’t think there’s a more special feeling than that. Once selected, everyone comes together, it’s just a great feeling. Comrades. Yes, we are from different countries, but that makes us more special. We all put the puzzle together. And we have our home audience behind us.”
Aged 31 but only three years international, Hossain’s own path has come into the limelight during this World Cup after excellent ESPNCricinfo profile by freelance journalist Cameron Ponsonby. It chronicles Hosein’s rise from Laventille, the eastern suburb of Port-of-Spain that features in Rudder’s music and has long experienced gang violence and an alarming murder rate. As Hossein himself says, “It’s always in the public eye for the wrong things.
“It’s good to see some good light thrown on this area. There are people in my area with aspirations and dreams, all they need is a little push. Yes, there is a bit of a downside, but it’s not the community. There were times [growing up] when it was hard and kind of messed up but you’re trying to be safe. There were times of peace and it was beautiful. Being in this field wasn’t always going to be good…but there were good times.
“I had one or two friends who were lost to it [gang] a lifestyle and friends I also saved; guys who were going in different directions that I pulled them out of it. Sometimes people feel lost and it’s right in front of them, it may seem like the easiest path, some get sidetracked.
Hossain went all in on cricket. He was spotted playing for Success Laventille aged 13 and was offered a place at Fatima College and later Queen’s Park Cricket Club, two prestigious venues, not least for someone in his postcode. In the latter, he was mentored by Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine, both of whom offered guidance beyond cricket and even financial support – cheap rent, help with employment – at a time when publicly this generation of West Indian cricketers was sometimes portrayed as only him for himself.
Pollard, who currently plays for England, was and remains the ‘father’ of cricket, while Narine, 552. Twenty twenty wickets and counting, directly advises on his craft, having recently urged his apprentice to deploy a few new mystery deliveries in this T20 world. “He told me, ‘It’s time, be brave,'” says Hossain, cheerfully teasing the prospect like Shane Warne back in the day.
Not that the current tools are too shabby, Hossain has climbed into the top 10 bowlers in T20 international cricket since his debut for the West Indies in 2021. Apart from orthodox finger-spin and intelligent use of the crease, Hossain has an old-school, classic arm ball. A pitched seam that spins perfectly as it curls through the thick Caribbean air and drifts with the breeze, it’s the delivery chef’s kiss, meaning he challenges both sides of the bat.
“I don’t know if it’s the ‘old school’ because I haven’t seen many people do it,” laughs Hossain, with nine wickets after the first four games. “I started bowling left-arm [wrist-spin] and medium pace. My first West Indies Under-19 ball was a medium. As a wrist spinner I had an injury and during rehab my coach asked me to try orthodox. It clicked, but I knew I had to find new options, so I was always trying new things.
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“There was an analysis [of the arm ball] in the media recently, but I’m not worried about it. I think it’s who’s in front of you and what’s best to get them out.”
One area Hossain feels he “deserves more credit” is for doing so on the power play, 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 is Trini’s third mentor here, helping to instill a tailor’s mentality. Given the way Hossain probes the conditions – sniffing out the air’s potential for lateral movement and plotting with the new ball – in many ways he is one.
Confidence is there; during our 20-minute conversation, Hossein used the phrase “when we win the World Cup” – as opposed to “if” – more than once. There is pride in overcoming a financial landscape tilted against the West Indies; utilization of resources. He is linked with the belief that now is payback time after being knocked out in the first round of the last male T20 World Cup and then missed last year’s World Over-50s altogether.
“For us, it’s a case of ‘when,'” he says, as the sun breaks through the clouds in St. Lucia and we seek shade in the lobby. “After some of the senior boys moved on, we took a serious beating. We were devastated and embarrassed. Man, we’ve been through it all. Time to pass on some of that feeling to other teams. I think we deserve it.”
T20 may be a fickle format but the West Indies are coming together, all right.
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