World Twenty20 Final: Mahela Jayawardene holds the key, but don't count out West Indies and Chris Gayle Angleo Mathews is a mercurial talent, Jeevan Mendis adept against spin, and Thisara Perera a left-handed bruiser. But they also have a proper batsman down the order in Lahiru Thirimanne if all goes wrong, whereas West Indies have loads of big-hitters - great on a flat pitch against ordinary bowling - but only three batsmen of sound technique in Gayle, Marlon Samuels and Dwayne Bravo. The inclusion of Darren Bravo, instead of Andre Russell, would help rectify this imbalance. West Indies staged the perfect innings against Australia, scoring 205 from 20 overs, and Gayle, Samuels, Bravo and Kieron Pollard were inspired. Two days later against Sri Lanka's bowling - far more varied than Australia's - they cannot return to such heights, especially if under the added pressure of batting second. Whatever the result though, the most important fruit of this tournament has been the revival of the West Indian spirit. It is not Test cricket, where they still have a long way to go, but at least there is one format in which Caribbean qualities are being reborn: fielding of an athleticism beyond the reach of other countries; the big hitting; and an exuberance, a sheer joy, now encapsulated in Gayle's celebratory dance. The revival has been led by two proud and passionate Jamaicans not prepared to be cheerful losers: Samuels, who proved himself a serious Test batsman against England, and Gayle, restored to the side in June after the latest of the West Indian board's ridiculous spats with their senior players. Blessed at last with the coolest of role-models in Gayle, cricket in the Caribbean is - for now - on the way back.