It might be too soon to proclaim the resurgence of the West Indies (WI) in cricket, but they are definitely on top of the world in T20 cricket after their amazing victory in the T20 World Cup final on Sunday.

The WI won the final in the most smashing way possible, with both sides alternating between being in a precarious position and dominance. Batting second and chasing a modest English total of 155, the WI were tottering at 11-3 within the first three overs. Chris Gayle came up short by being dismissed for four, and semifinal savior Lendl Simmons was out for zero, but Marlon Samuels struck a defiant 85 not out to keep the WI in the game. The WI still trailed by 18 when the final over came up, but Carlos Brathwaite erased that with three sixes in succession before hitting another one for the win.

Poor Ben Stokes, who bowled that over, must be devastated, but hopefully he will not be too traumatized. England can only rue that they did not get a bigger batting total, but they actually did not do too badly.

While the WI had won it once already in 2012, winning this year's edition was special, coming at a time when the team is near the bottom in the Test and ODI formats of the game and wracked by pay disputes with their own board. Several members of the team had not even played top-level cricket for the WI for years.

Admittedly, this writer - despite hailing from the West ­Indies - was never a big fan due to greater interest in other sports and the decline of the WI from the 1990s. But the lean times of the past decade and the sorry drama involving WI cricket means the triumph of the WI in this T20 tournament was very much appreciated.

The WI may have displayed some cockiness, but it was more from over-exuberance than arrogance. Powered by their signature "Champion" dance, they captivated fans, even in the host nation which had been knocked out by the WI in the semifinals, and they definitely played with a mix of boldness and joy that few teams matched.

But while the men were superb, let's not forget the WI women who also reached their final as well and handily beat a strong Australia - the defending champions - by eight ­wickets. And the WI under-19s won the World Cup in February, raising hopes for the future.

However, the WI will have to face up to the fact that this current team has probably played their last international tournament given that many of the players are in their mid-30s. England can comfort themselves by knowing their team is still young and will have more chances to win in the future.

The author is a Hong Kong-based writer. hcpyip@gmail.com