There were shades of the West Indies’ glory years to be found throughout their crushing defeat of England in Bridgetown but when their gentle giant of a captain, Jason Holder, lead his resurgent team from the field amid jubilant scenes, one thing felt missing.
This was England’s first Test in Barbados since Tony Cozier died in May 2016. And as the voice that became synonymous with the shellackings of yesteryear, it would have been a mild source of comfort to followers back home – and delight to those in the region – had his Bajan lilt been deftly steel-panning the final moments of the latest England collapse.
The professionalism that became one of the hallmarks of Cozier’s 50-plus years of broadcasting and writing – along with accuracy, knowledge, wit and colour – would never have allowed triumphalism to creep in, of course. But according to his son, Craig, among the locals whooping and cheering as the unlikely Roston Chase ran through the tourists like a dose of salts, his heart would nevertheless have swelled.
“Towards the end of his career, the good West Indies performances were few and far between. But this Test match would have made him so so proud,” Cozier Jr said . “And he would have been especially proud of Jason Holder, who came through our club, Wanderers CC [in Bridgetown].
“My dad was a club man for 40/50 years and he was such a fan of Jason. The hard times depressed him but he always knew Jason’s character would make him one of the best things to come along for Caribbean cricket. In tough times, he has turned himself into a strong leader of West Indies.”
Being raised by such a well-known and popular broadcaster is a similar source of pride for Craig. He followed his father into the cricket world, first as a local newspaper journalist in Barbados, then a statistician, through to his current role as a television producer working on such events as the Indian Premier League.
The Cozier family first arrived in the 18th century – their Scottish ancestors were labourers amid the rise of the sugar cane industry – and two and a half years on from Tony’s death, aged 76, they remain touched by the messages and tributes that flowed like the rum in the jubilant Greenidge and Haynes stand over the weekend.
“He was already the voice of West Indies cricket before I was born and because his voice was attached to the success, that made me love what he did,” said Craig.
“You would meet people, hear their stories, see them greet him with smiles, and you started to realise how important he was to the Caribbean people and how he shaped the culture of cricket.
“There were so may tributes from all over the world when he died. Some of the more emotional ones, for me personally, were the ones that didn’t even mention his career in cricket, just the man himself and the human touch.”
In his later years Cozier Sr had become a vocal critic of the West Indies Cricket Board during a period of political turmoil. At the time of death he had been pursuing legal action against its president, Dave Cameron, following remarks that poor eyesight had seen him dropped from local television commentary (and not, as most suspected, his views).
“He found the board too sensitive to his critiques,” Cozier Jr said. “He was always constructive but even now you can still how see they react to criticism, like with [the recent appointment of head coach] Richard Pybus. If only they listened to people. But ultimately it’s about the players and now, especially the Test team, there is a steel about them.
“Slowly we are finding a team who are competitive and will become more and more respected. That’s all that fans want to see: pride on the field. For a few years it seemed like the players weren’t interested – there was so much fighting with the board – but now, finally, we are seeing the stuff we want.”
England’s cricketers may not share this sentiment as they head to Antigua for Thursday’s second Test, tails between legs. But for those among the travelling support who also fell in love with the style and swagger of West Indies teams growing up, drawn in by Cozier’s tropical tones, it’s hard not to smile at this latest upturn.