The most successful team in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup has undergone a massive change since their group exit at the previous edition of the showpiece event last year. Despite their forgettable show then, the change seemed inevitable. The ageing stars of yesteryears had to make the way for the new blood. They have a new leader in Nicholas Pooran who succeeded after Kieron Pollard, a T20 behemoth, announced retirement from international cricket. Fresh ideas, fresh environment.
But the team seems weakened. When you have an Andre Russell not making the cut in the squad for such a tournament and then a certain Shimron Hetmyer being dropped for ‘missing the flight’ has added a certain intrigue to their campaign and not in a good way.
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And they will be treading a new path, a path that nobody would have imagined they would have to take during the dizzying glory days of title-winning celebrations in 2012 and 2016.
West Indies will have to go through the qualifiers to make it to the tournament proper for the first time in their history. And judging by their record in the format since the world cup in UAE, one cannot argue much why they have to take this route. Since 2021 T20 WC, West Indies have played 24 T20Is and of these, only seven times they have managed to finish as the winners, 16 have been defeats while one produced no result. Of the seven series they have been part of between the two world cups, West Indies have won two and lost five – the most recent being to Australia.
And though they are the favorites to progress from their qualifying group, having to do so must hurt the collective egos of their players. A Windies fan can only hope it can spark a memorable campaign.
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How They Fared Last Time
Poorly. They were pooled with England, Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Group 1 of the Super 12 stage. And they finished fifth thanks to four defeats and just a solitary win – a close three-run win vs Bangladesh – in five matches.
Top Players to Watch Out For
Nicholas Pooran: Captain, wicketkeeper, middle-order steel. Pooran has plenty of responsibilities to deal with as West Indies captain and player. The year 2022 has been quite decent for him so far. He’s the top-scorer of the calendar year in the format from his team – 557 from 19 innings and features five times in the list of top-10 individual scores for West Indies in 2022. His captaincy, tactics and how he carries his players together will be in focus.
Jason Holder: One of the most experienced players in the squad, the allrounder adds balance to the eleven. However, his bowling has made the headlines this year more than his batting. And it reflects on his tally of 23 wickets – the most by any bowler from West Indies.
Strongest Playing XI
Kyle Mayers, Johnson Charles, Brandon King, Nicholas Pooran (c & wk), Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, Odean Smith, Akeal Hosein, Yannic Cariah, Alzarri Joseph, Obed McCoy
Full Squad
Nicholas Pooran (c), Rovman Powell, Yannic Cariah, Johnson Charles, Sheldon Cottrell, Shamarh Brooks, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Kyle Mayers, Obed Mccoy, Raymon Reifer, Odean Smith
West Indies Full Schedule
Qualifiers
October 17 – vs Scotland (Group B), Bellerive Oval, Hobart
October 19 – vs Zimbabwe (Group B), Bellerive Oval, Hobart
October 21 – vs Ireland (Group B), Bellerive Oval, Hobart
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