IT was American actor Will Rogers who once said: “Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there” — a quote that succinctly embodies the attitude of the West Indies cricket team at this point in time.

For, I have no doubt that both the management and players desperately want to win and bring glory to themselves and their fans throughout the region and the Diaspora, not only in the current ICC World Cup on the sub-continent, but also in time to come.

Undoubtedly, they have recognised the need to restore the team to a position of respect in the world game. To their credit, they have made a move in that direction by qualifying for the quarter-final stages of the World Cup after Bangladesh meekly surrendered against South Africa early yesterday.

Indeed, in recent times, the vital signs for renewal have been evident within the squad — with the ‘discovery’ of exciting young players like Darren Bravo, Adrian Barath, Andre Russell and leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo — and the methodically professional approach adopted by Otis Gibson and the coaching staff.

In the last match, the promoting of captain Darren Sammy to No 3 in that farcical game against England — when we typically snatched defeat from the jaws of victory — was a bold move reflecting thought and insight, with the succession of left-handers at the top of the order threatening to be exposed by spinners Graeme Swan and James Tredwell aiming for the ‘rough’ outside off-stump, thus the need to insert a right-hander at that juncture.

Ironically, Gibson later conceded that ultimately, not enough thought was put into their game as the team went into shambles after the heroic Russell had departed.

As Sammy also confessed, that crucial next step on the ladder of success is missing within the team as a whole; that ‘killer instinct’ to deliver the knock-out punch when the opposition is against the ropes.

For, after restricting England to a ‘gettable’ total of 243 runs last Thursday, and having recovered — courtesy of a seventh-wicket stand of 72 between Russell and Ramnaresh Sarwan — from the loss of the top half of the batting while being precariously placed at 150-6, the Windies were back to their old ways, losing their last four wickets for three runs in the space of 20 deliveries to lose by 18 runs.

It is incidents like these that proved that winning — and, in this case, losing — is inded a habit, with the Windies, aided by some poor cricket at the ‘death’, losing their heads and a match that would have averted the anxiety of advancing to the knock-out phase.

An important ingredient that seems missing is belief in self — that we could, for instance, topple a desperate England who were coming off an impressive Ashes victory in Australians a few months ago, and who, having lost to both Ireland and Bangladesh in a competitive Group B, had to win against the West Indies after tying with South Africa.

And even as we look ahead to today’s game against India and beyond, one should spare a thought for Russell’s achievements. Still only a rookie cricketer after making his Test debut last year against Sri Lanka, the strongly-built Jamaican was the star on Thursday after picking up the most wickets (four) and returning to slam a flamboyant topscore of 49 in his debut One-Day International (ODI) tournament.

Having done excellently for the West Indies ‘A’ team on its last tour of the United Kingdom with his hustling, aggressive seam bowling and belligerent ball-beating habits lower down the order, Russell’s capabilities with both bat and ball are well known in the region.

However, like compatriot Patrick Patterson, Russell is not an economical bowler in the mould of a Curtly Ambrose or a Courtney Walsh, but rather, is a genuine wicket-taker.

Consequently, his handling by the skipper is critical as it could well decide the destiny of a team that has not beaten a top-rated opponent in ODIs in over two years.

Similarly, on the heels of a fantastic find in the form of the nippy pacer Kemar Roach in recent times, the Windies have hit a gold mine in the form of Bishoo, whose control, guile, and maturity truly belie his inexperience at the international level.

A natural spinner of the ball, the rangy Guyanese who returned splendid figures of 3-23 off eight overs against England, offers a potent bowling option for the Windies.

Sadly, however, a captaincy blunder denied him all 10 overs, which could well have influenced the outcome of the match.

And so, while the West Indies seem to be on track for success in the near future, with the KO stages poised to unearth some interesting action, they must be proactive if they are to prolong their stay in the contest.

For, as Gibson declared after their latest flop, “We’re aware that we’ve come close recently. It’s the key moments in games that we’ve let slip. But we have been creating opportunities to win.”

These are words for the Windies to live by. For, my intuition suggests that this team, which is brimful of talent, will yet make a splash at this World Cup tournament — hopefully, when it really matters.