The T20 World Cup Super 12s started last Saturday and by day four, West Indies could be finished.
Perhaps it is sad but it is the frightening truth. West Indies fans could go hide in a corner and pray for a miracle and while it is mathematically possible for their team to advance to the semi-finals, it would take some extraordinary cricket from them coupled with some terribly inept performances from the other countries for the Caribbean side to go through.
It is well known that this West Indies team possesses tremendous talent and ability but we are also well aware that when they have a bad day at the office, anything is possible. Little did we expect, however, that on the opening day of October 23, it would have been that bad. Dismissed for 55 by England with 5.4 overs or 34 balls still to be bowled, one man, Christopher Gayle, got into double figures scoring 13. Of the 11 players that went out to bat, all bar Andre Russell, got out playing big shots either going for expansive drives, cuts, or shots trying to clear the boundaries.
Was there no plan when the West Indies were sent in on how to approach the innings? I am positive there was one but surely when plan A was clearly not working, you must quickly assess the situation and go to plan B or even Plan C.
At 27 for 3, when Shimron Hetmyer got out after 4.4 overs, the plan should have been to consolidate for the next four overs, not lose a wicket, and even if the team scored 20 from those 24 balls, it would mean the score would move up to 47 for 3. Then, there would still be 11.2 overs to be bowled or 68 balls but more importantly, there would still be seven wickets left for the opposition to dismiss.
From those 68 balls, one could score another 90 which could take the score up to 137 and at least give the bowlers something to bowl at. Now, I know this is easy to do on paper, but none of the batsmen tried rotating the strike. There was dot ball after dot ball and everyone except for, once again, Russell was out going for glory. Absolute madness, you may say? I wholeheartedly agree.
With 34 balls still to be bowled, even Ravi Rampaul joined the party trying to smack Adil Rashid out of the ground when in fact he could have stuck around for the 34 balls with Akeal Hosein and try to put some level of respectability to the total. To be frank, it was a gutless and embarrassing display by the West Indies batsmen who never accepted the responsibility to work hard for the maroon colours and their supporters across the Caribbean.
Again, I will question the selection policy. How is it possible that the final 11 did not include Roston Chase? As we all know, he just came off a successful CPL (Caribbean Premier League) campaign and scored a half-century in the warm-up game but still could not find himself in the team. As a result, the West Indies insisted on Gayle batting at number three because the assistant coach says he is a match-winner.
Lendl Simmons hasn’t been in the best of form but he has proven himself to turn his form around in big tournaments. However, with his patchy form, it is a big gamble playing both him and Gayle. Certainly, I would opt for Simmons.
The victory target for England was achieved in 50 balls but they did wobble slightly losing four wickets and as someone remarked to me, the game would have been interesting if the West Indies had scored 140. Wishful thinking indeed, I thought. The turnaround was quick so there was no time to dwell on the loss to England but up came the South Africans and I have said time and time again, their strength is in their bowling while their batting revolves around Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram.
Although Rassie van der Dussen is capable of getting runs, his batting is not as dynamic as De Kock and Markram. When I saw that De Kock was not playing for personal reasons, I felt if the West Indies could score in the vicinity of 160 runs, they could beat the Proteas and wipe away the painful memory of England.
Evin Lewis was brilliant. His 56 in 35 balls led the way but Simmons, because of his lack of form, pushed and prodded the same amount of deliveries as Lewis for 16 without a boundary. I felt the demise of Lewis and Nicholas Pooran came about because of Simmons' lack of productivity. Chris ‘bound to be selected’ Gayle scored his 12 to go with his 13 and only skipper Pollard, with some lusty blows, in the end, propelled the score to 143.
The South Africans, after losing an early wicket, batted sensibly and got the required runs with 10 balls to go. The one change to the team Hayden Walsh Jr came in for Obed McCoy and still no room for Roston Chase. I really can’t understand the thinking. It's almost as if the selectors are trying to prove a point, but at what cost? If Gayle does score a hundred, the West Indies would be already eliminated from the tournament. I wish him well for the remainder of his innings.
The bowlers, again, bowled well and Akeal Hosein continues to impress at the international level. Russell has yet to come to the party and given his experience, he must play his part with the ball. Dwayne Bravo is going to be a big miss when he leaves West Indies cricket. He is an intelligent cricketer and a fine role model for youngsters. On the other hand, Walsh Jr needs to show more variety. He needs help but no doubt his bowling can improve.
After two disappointing displays from a West Indies batting lineup that has been described as terrifying, they may as well say goodbye to their T20 crown unless this “terrifying” West Indies batting lineup changes their mental approach; not only in terms of how they plan their innings, but also a toughness in their batting which we are not seeing and is sorely missing at the moment.
No doubt a change of personnel must also be looked at. With Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Australia (in that order) left to play, at least let us hope that the West Indies come out victorious in those games so that the Caribbean people can hold their heads up high.
Editor’s note: The views expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views of any organisation of which he is a stakeholder.
