Party animals hit Perth

Rohit Mahajan

A party born in the West Indies rocked Perth today.

Perth is laidback. It doesn’t have the speed and the thrills of Sydney or Melbourne. It’s city centre is attractive but unexciting. Away from it, things become slower still. Perth imported a party from the West Indies, then, to mark the arrival of the team of the Caribbean islands here.

The West Indies players, thrilling to watch one day, abysmal the other day, make you wonder. They play the sport with fun and for fun — isn’t this how things should be? The counter to this is that they’re playing professional cricket, and this is a World Cup. How could they put up such a pathetic show against Ireland? But once the music starts, it’s difficult to dispute their intent of having fun. This happened today at the Perth Cultural Centre. The food was Caribbean, the rum was Caribbean, the fun was Caribbean. Calypso and raggae music was played. Andre Russell took the mike and sang. Chris Gayle tried to sing — it wasn’t thrilling. He’d be advised to try to murder bowlers instead of music.

They signed autographs, discussed cricket and danced. Is it better to be a stern winner or a fun-filled loser? Tonight, it seemed that being a loser isn’t such a drag in life, after all. It’s a sport. Play it, and dance the night away — like Gayle or Russell. — Rohit Mahajan