Analysing West Indies T20 World Cup 2021 Squad
You think of rampage and the first thing that comes to your mind is the West Indies cricket team. The defending champions are back again but without their "defending champion".- the one who stepped on the gas to take them home last time, nevertheless it is still a team of solidity and others are no less. The ongoing CPL has been a very good match practice for them. Pollard, Holder, Pooran et all proved they were in form for selection. With Chris Gayle back in the team, in potentially doubtfully his last T20 World Cup, they look an aggressive pack but let us see who are the ones to watch out for and what all the players have in store.
Kieron Pollard
Kieron Pollard is a name every West Indian cricket fan has on his/her tips. The carnage that the right handed batting allrounder can cause is beyond unimaginable. The fact that he hits bowlers out of the park with minimal footwork and planning is an example of his sheer power and timing he has. An average of 28.60 but a strike rate of 138 clearly defines his role in the T20i's. Being an excellent fielder, he has taken stunners despite his poor fitness level. A dangerous power hitting batter, the 34 year old has accommodated 54 wickets in 80 innings, his economy of 5.72 is stunning. An asset and an option for the team in the middle overs, he is a very good captain as well who can guide the team to victory this year as well.
Nicholas Pooran
An emerging youngster, Nicholas Pooran is the first choice wicketkeeper in the team. An example of pure power hitting and timing, the 25 year old likes short balls and often hits them in the offside region, making room for himself. Possessing an average of 23 and strike rate of 124, his numbers are not quite symbolic of his recent red hot form. 3 half centuries to his name is what he has and, given his position of entering T20i matches, it is justifiable. He creates for himself some serious case to be selected in the starting 11 with Andre Fletcher as the other keeper but not looking good to use the long handle to his benefit.
Fabian Allen
One of the newest stars of West Indies cricket, Fabian Allen is a 26 year old left handed legspin bowling allrounder (Phew! that's quite a lot of information in one line). The success he has got till now is something to be envious and careful of. His ability to single handedly bring matches to a close has been his major reason in the team. He is a player who can come even at no. 8 and strike at a rate of 225 and an average of 29 to play small but pressure lifting knocks. While his bowling has been a bit too expensive at an average economy of 7.2, he has been able to take wickets with 24 of them off 20 innings he's bowled in. Due to the presence of experienced players like DJ Bravo, his place is not confirm until they want to start with a high scoring encounter at the cost of weakening their pace attack a bit.
Dwayne Bravo
One of the most experienced, successful and prolific player of his team, DJ Bravo is has recently achieved feats of playing 500 t20 matches and winning the most t20 titles. Apart from being a fine allrounder, he is a great fielder too. The 37 year old has declared retirement after T20 World Cup but he will continue to be part of T20 leagues. In 73 innings, the death over specialist has managed to scalp out 76 wickets at an economy of 8.08 but a strike rate of a mere 18.50. The champion bowler is also a hard hitting batter who can play cameos at no.8 or even 9. He had a major contribution in winning games for CSK as well. His place is a must in the starting 11 unless he fails miserably in the IPL.
Roston Chase
While it comes as a surprise that Roston Chase has not been a part of any T20i, it also fits reasonable to keep him out of the format up till now but not from now. The 29 year old allrounder's impressive CPL season and a Player of the Tournament Award have helped him book a berth into the squad. The right hander is often among the runs but he shares the same issue with Shikhar Dhawan- his slow starts. He is starts his innings to slow to be added into a no. 6 slot in the 20 over format. In the CPL 2021, he has made amends and has looked more formidable than ever. With 748 runs off 26 innings at 129 and 19 wickets off 24 innings with his offspin, Chase has established himself up the order for St. Lucia Kings. Having said that, Chris Gayle or Andre Russell might want to get back to their best as soon as possible to avoid losing their spot to this man.
Andre Fletcher
A common face in T20 cricket over the world, Andre Fletcher has, however, been in and out of the national team. The 33 year old wicketkeeper batter is a top order batter or, more specifically, an opener. His fitness levels are up to the mark and he is quick in the field as well as between the wickets. Having played 54 T20 innings, he has no lack of experience. His highest score of an impressive 84 but a lot of other stats not going his way, that hw has just been inconsistent and not really lacking in skill. However, an average of 21 and strike rate of 111, he has a lot on stake and, considering his poor run, this might be just one of the last chances before he is dropped from the team.
Chris Gayle
The Universe Boss, who needs no reason to be explained why he is called so, is back for another World Cup for the men in brown. The 42 year old left handed batter had been a personality to remember for the West Indians. A top order batter, when it comes to batting position, he has scored more than 1000 runs while opening and even has recorded the highest score in all T20i's on the magical Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Pune Warriors night when he made 175. There is practically no weakness of Gayle as he strikes at 144 against pace and 154 against spin. With age growing, he has although lost the quick running between he wickets. However, a player of his calibre does not need that. He was probably never a gun fielder but his quick pacy offspin has rattled as many batting line ups as he has done to the bowlers while bowling, and that too, without getting any turn. He must be an automatic pick but, with Evin Lewis and Lendl Simmons blazing fire in the CPL, he might lose his turn or be demoted though it is highly unlikely after the captain spoke himself out.
Shimron Hetmeyer
Another left hander, Shimron Hetmeyer is a dangerous middle order and lower order batter. Where he can provide explosive flourishes in the end, he can also manoeuvre strike and take on bowlers occasionally. In a nutshell, he can play responsibly and take games from out-of-question to almost-there situations. Let us take a look at his career in numbers. 539 runs off 30 innings and that too, striking at a paltry 116 is not what you expect from him. However, he displayed his class in the IPL this season. While playing the tricky overs for Delhi, he came over as a hitting sensation after finishing games off. Although West Indies have loads of power hitters, they lack in finishers who bat like Pollard or Pooran when batting first. Apart from Andre Russell, who has been under a lot of pressure due to lack of support in the middle overs while chasing, Hetmeyer can be the one to look out for.
Evin Lewis
The 29 year old has currently established himself as the first choice opener for the mighty team from the West. An opening batter, he is a destructive southpaw who particularly likes pace on the bat. While his IPL season has not been an indifferent one, he even had a flamboyant CPL season playing authorative strokes with ease. His confidence is on a high and might work well on the slow pitches where aggression often comes of use as was KL Rahul's case in his last league stage game of IPL 2021 and India's first warm up fixture. The Trinidadian legend strikes at above 150 and averages a 32, the combination of which, looks perfect for an opening aggressor. He must be the first choice opener for the team even if that means displacing Chris Gayle from his favourite spot.
Obed McCoy
Being groomed for the future, Obed McCoy is a left handed allrounder who bowls fast-medium. He was at perhaps his best during the Australia series. The 24 year old scalped 5 wickets off 2 matches, where he also took a 4 wicket haul. while his numbers in t20 cricket have been up to the mark (45 wickets off 30 innings), his economy (8.22) has been wayward. Although he is not great with the bat in hand, he plays down the order and has a highest score of 23 in t20i's. His fielding is of the 'ordinary' standard which makes him unlikely to many opportunities unless the opposition plays lefties in huge amounts. However, he can be used to good extent in the powerplay and must make good use of opportunities to make himself a favourite in the future.
Ravi Rampaul
Ravi Rampaul- a name that has emerged out of the crowd, has been a product of an overwhelming CPL season. Another all-rounder, Ravindranath Rampaul bowls left hand pace but bats right handed, making him a versatile inclusion to the squad. Indented by shin injuries, the 37 year old's career has been a stop-start one although he gave stellar performances in tests vs India and Pakistan. Contributing a good hand in the 2012 t20 WC triumph. Hailing from Trinidad, he has 29 wickets off 23 t20i innings. Though his stats with the bat in the shortest format of the game are underwhelming, yet he must be an asset for the team to help his team achieve a hat trick of t20 WC trophies.
Andre Russell
The most destructive batter of IPL, as he is often called, Andre Russell has the ability to finish any and every possible game from any and every condition. Although the sticking UAE wickets do not suit him, once IPL returns back to India, he might gather back and remind people of the DreRuss we have wanted to seem the many times he has disappointed in 2020 and 21. The Jamaican allrounder has neither been at his best for the Windies. He has hit 716 runs from just 62 matches in T20i's and is a well deserved owner of two world titles. His average of 21 and a strike rate of over 150 define what kind o a cricketer he is. Working mainly as a finisher, not just a single half century but 60 sixes and 40 fours remind us of the Russel Muscle. Those numbers soar high enough to touch the skies in T20's. Although a death bowler, he has not much to look up to in the bowling section but surely is one of the greatest in accuracy at bowling pacy wide yorkers with the angle. Many hopes would be on him and, needless to say, he might create another 'remember the name' moment if ever required.
Lendl Simmons
Another hitting opener in a team of finishers, Lendl Simmons has not disappointed in the some opportunities he has got. In 66 innings, he averages 21 and strikes at 122 runs per 100 balls. This might not look like a mindboggling or even a subtle record for a West Indian, selected in the T20 World Cup nevertheless we might see his inclusion very often given the distinctiveness of his compared to the other openers. Where players like Gayle and Evin Lewis can add some crackling starts, he might be able to hold the other end. While he is also a part time right arm medium fast bowler, he is also an occasional wicketkeeper. he has taken 6 wickets in 5 innings but 4 of them have come in only 1 innings. since nothing can be compared with form, after an excellent CPL season, he has been handed another World Cup opportunity and the 36 year old top order batter would love to outclass the tournament favourites like he did in 2016 semifinal.
Oshane Thomas
One of the few all-forma players in the contingent, Thomas has not been a star so far in his T20i career. His start-stop career includes just 16 wickets off 17 innings from a player who is a favourite in the same team for ODI's. His economy soars upto as high as 9.1 but all of this has been better in just T20 cricket, where he has got 63 wickets off 51 innings but the problem is same, he has not been able to limit runs as of lately and would like to work on that. Since, in T20i's, you never want to play specialist batters in a squad of hard-hitters, his batting provides him, a plus point which he has already displayed in the 2019 WC. Lack of form and game time might be a factor of consideration (he has not played since 2020).
Hayden Walsh Jr.
The only right arm orthodox bowler in the team, Hayden Rashidi Walsh, is the son of the former great Hayden Walsh Sr. A man on rise, Walsh's career has taken a steep rise and has been in fine form since a series win against Australia. Having already taken 19 wickets from 15 matches, he has been one of the best in form and skills recently. However, he does not still have the experience of entering directly into the starting 11. There is Roston Chase as well as Akeal Hossein, both of whom can bat quite well, so do not back him to make his World Cup debut against England.
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