One only had to hear Chris Gayle speak after his side's overwhelming victory in the $20m Stanford challenge match to know that, in the widest sense, the right team had won the money. As Kevin Pietersen, the England captain, had said to Gayle, his good friend, earlier in the week, half in jest and half in truth, the West Indian cricketers needed the money more.

West Indian cricket needs the glory too. Cricket in the Caribbean has been famously in decline and it needed the success that this match brought. Such a result could revive the game in region and if that happens, the game at large should rejoice. World cricket needs the passion and love that West Indies brings to the sport.

"Words can't express how happy and relieved I feel," Gayle said. "The guys really came to the party. We hit England hard from ball one. I could not have asked for a better performance.

"There had been a lot of distractions but we have been working six weeks for this. I shed tears for this victory. I have never been under as much pressure as I was before this game for family reasons, but my back is broad and I can handle it. This is better than anything I have experienced in cricket."

Gayle's brother has a heart problem and he said one of the first things he would be doing was sorting out treatment for him and their father, who is also unwell. Hence Gayle's confession that he had been "really stressed out".

He added: "The guys should spend the money wisely but they should also spend it on themselves and make themselves happy because they deserve it."

Gayle is among the more marketable West Indian cricketers, and he can hope to earn further significant sums through the Indian Premier League, but other members of his team might not enjoy such riches again. Andre Fletcher, who helped Gayle knock off the 100 runs the Stanford Superstars needed for victory, is only 20 years of age.

Before presenting Gayle with the winners' cheque, Sir Allen Stanford had told the crowd of 10,000, and the cricket world at large: "West Indies cricket is back!" Everyone hoped he was right. Even the England players.