A classic example of the adage ‘Silence is worth one thousand words’ was on display on May 3rd, when Chairman of selectors for Cricket West Indies, The Most Honourable Desmond Haynes, accompanied by two-time former winning captain turned white ball coach, Daren Sammy, announced the squad of 15 players chosen to wear the proud maroon of the region for next month’s T20 World Cup.
The tournament will be staged right here in the region, along with some preliminary matches in the USA and while there are armchair selectors who are often quite vocal and quick to rip apart any team chosen or decisions made by Cricket West Indies, often with merit, the lack of questions and even the enthusiasm by the reporters present and others connected through Zoom, indicated one glaring fact—the selectors got it right, or very, very close to right!
Even now, a few days after the dust has settled there is still little dissent from the thousands of critics who would normally have the call in programmes and other sources where they could share their discontent!
There are just one or maybe two bones of contention with the squad and they lie with the selection of Shimron Hetmyer and maybe the omission of Kyle Mayers and even these have been relatively muted.
The truth is that the selectors did a good job and covered most of the bases in selecting a team which if properly managed and motivated, can indeed win this World Cup, especially when the added advantage of playing at home in the Caribbean, is factored in.
And herein lies the biggest challenge. Can this team be properly motivated, prepared, and ready to play and beat the Australias, Indias, Englands, and even the New Zealanders of the world? And not just on the cricket field, but in the classroom where the approach to the game and most importantly, the strategy is worked out.
The reality is that T20 cricket is unpredictable and hit and miss and very often, the best team doesn’t win. It often boils down to what happens on a particular day.
All it takes is one exceptional individual performance with either bat or ball to determine an outcome. There is also a word few sportsmen like, but also plays a huge role in the outcome—Luck!
The luck of winning the toss – or losing it—could be critical as a team can get the best of the conditions, while the team losing may benefit from seeing how a pitch plays and making necessary adjustments.
While many of the purest still despise the format, T20 cricket is fast-paced, unpredictable, and exciting. A delivery that may be perfect in a Test Match or even an ODI may be smashed to the ropes or even out of the ground. One single over in which a top edge goes for six and contains a few more streaky boundaries can change a match, as can a couple of wickets in an over, a brilliant run out, or a spectacular catch.
That is the luck element of T20 and where - on our day, the West Indies team can compete with and beat any team in the world as coach Sammy said when announcing the team, 15 potential match winners have been selected!
And he is correct as the likes of Andre Russell, Nicholas Pooran, Rovman Powell, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd are all world-renowned power hitters, and Akeal Hosein, currently ranked #3 in bowling, can turn a game in its head!
The thing is that this can be said of practically every major team coming to the tournament as they all have match-winners as well.
So what is the key to transforming the West Indies from a group of individual superstars into a winning team? The answer – the use of strategy and technology!
Win the game in the classroom before coming onto the field!
Like it or not, technology now plays a significant role in international cricket with every major team employing someone who provides analysis on every opposing player, highlighting their strengths, weaknesses, and habits. A batsman may play a certain shot to a certain length delivery, a fast bowler may bowl a slower ball after two quick ones or a leg spinner may bowl a googly after being struck for a boundary.
Knowing and countering these little nuances could be the difference between winning and losing!
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Coach Sammy shared that even the West Indies, renowned for being late to the party, now has such an analyst and the execution of whatever plan emerges from the data that is compiled and analyzed will determine just how far the team can go in the tournament, or even win it.
Although there are obvious differences, technology has made T20 cricket a bit similar to Major League Baseball where each team knows pretty much everything about their opponents, and a match is played more like chess than a ball game.
In baseball, the manager’s understanding and countering a batter’s traits like; a left-handed batter doesn’t fair well against left-handed pitching; a particular player hits only ground balls to the shortstop; another hits only fastballs, and another is weak against curve balls. This, even more than individual ability is what makes the difference in the game’s outcome and maybe it’s time for cricket to continue its evolution and adopt some of these tactics.
Just like baseball, where the best batters get a ‘hit’ about 25% of the time and the very best around 30%, performance in T20I cricket is so inconsistent that only four players in history have an average over 50.
The game is however so fast-paced, that the rate at which the runs are scored has become just as important as how many runs are scored. Virat Kholi, one of those averaging 50+, recently scored a century in the IPL but was severely criticized for batting too slowly!
As earlier mentioned opening batsman Mayers is one of the few players mentioned as being unlucky in not being selected, but it can also be noted that of late it seems he has been “worked out” - often dismissed after lashing a couple of boundaries and then ‘holding out’, undone by a similar looking delivery which may be just a bit faster or slower.
This is what cricket has become in 2024 and it’s no longer just about having the ability, it’s now more about using technology and data to formulate a plan for each batsman, each bowler, and every possible situation that may occur in a game and then the ability to execute that plan!
It was pleasing to hear the lead selector and coach talk about the specific roles being established for every player chosen and this rationale may well have quelled the usual fervor, as they seem to have covered most, if not all, of the bases, as apart from a left-arm fast bowler, the team is quite balanced.
Brandon King is coming off an injury and his record opening the batting isn’t special, but as Sammy said, on his day, he could be a difference-maker. The same can be said of Johnson Charles, who though a lot more experienced, is just as inconsistent. The thing is he is also unpredictable in stroke play and shot selection and thus capable of taking apart any attack in the world for 30 or 40 runs and if he can get these quick enough, he would have done his job.
Speaking of roles, if Shai Hope has been picked in a squad of big hitters should be further kudos to the selectors, who like everyone with eyes realize that he is the one true world-class batsman currently in the region and HAS to be in not only T20s, but also ODIs and Tests!
Hope is unlikely to see much action unless Pooran is injured or top openers fail woefully, but he is our immediate future and should he watch and try to emulate Kholi and perhaps Kane Williamson of NZ, two classy all-format players, who adjust their games and score heavily while never resorting to slogging. They find gaps and run hard between the wickets (fewer dot balls) and try not to play uncharacteristic shots! The bad ball will come along!
That said, Hope is unlikely to play unless the top order fails badly or Pooran (wicketkeeper) is injured - as Roston Chase may be a better option due to his team-best economy off spin (6.59) and his improved strike rate (111). He too can hold the middle around the big fireworks hitters, while also having the ability to smash a few of his own.
The final XI should provide considerable headaches for the selectors, a nice problem to have, as with the superstars previously mentioned there are just a few available spots.
While Sherfane Rutherford has shown maturity and looked great in recent matches, it’s difficult to see he or Gudakesh Motie making the final cut, and truth be told, the newly minted vice-captain Azzari Joseph has not exactly set the world on fire in T20s and has even lost his place for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the ongoing IPL, so ineffective, predictable and expensive he has proven!
When asked about a potential X-Factor who may provide Carlos Brathwaite 2016 heroics, coach Sammy and lead selector Haynes were careful not to place pressure on an individual.
However new Guyanese fast bowling sensation, Shamar Joseph, may well be this not-so-secret, but still relatively unknown weapon!
Still yet to earn his first T20I cap, Shamar is still a mystery to most of the world’s batsmen and if utilized correctly, could be that ace up Powell’s sleeve!
As Sammy said, his control and pace are undeniable - as proven during his historic debut series down under, when his remarkable 2nd innings 7/68 almost single-handedly gave the West Indies their first win in Australia in over 25 years.
Even the vaunted Aussies - playing at home, found his pace and accuracy disturbing and even though he had a rough debut over in the IPL for Lucknow Super Giants going for a whopping 22 runs, he may still be ‘The One’!
Shamar should just put that match behind him, as even the vaunted Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins have also been hammered in this IPL and perhaps the only fast bowler to escape real punishment has been the world’s best, Jaspirit Bumrah.
With adrenaline pumping, the 100% support of thousands of adoring WI fans, and a technology-driven plan in how and where to attack batsmen – who still don’t know that much about him – Shamar, who has already proven he is not scared or intimidated by the big stage or big moments – may yet emerge as the WI hero of the 2024 World Cup.
It would however have been great if Sammy hadn’t announced to the world that the plan is to use him in the power play. So much for surprise and strategy…
In the end, it may not be Shamar, but it’s the hope and dream of every West Indian supporter at home and globally, that on June 29th, the team is not only in the final in Barbados, but a new Carlos Brathwaite emerges, takes the Windies to their third title and forever etch their name in the folklore of West Indies cricket.