The West Indies have been brilliant in the ICC World T20 this decade, winning it twice and making the semi-finals in 2014 only for D/L method to boot them out.
However, their 50-over form has been very patchy in the ICC Cricket World Cup – just winning over Bangladesh in 2011 and Ireland in 2015 on net run rate only to get outplayed in both quarter-finals. The current West Indies side looks more balanced four years on and here’s the squad I reckon will cause a few upsets.
Batsmen – Chris Gayle, John Campbell, Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer, Evin Lewis
All-rounders – Andre Russell, Jason Holder (captain), Carlos Brathwaite, Ashley Nurse, Sunil Narine
Keeper – Shai Hope
Seamers – Oshane Thomas, Sheldon Cottrell, Kemar Roach, Keemo Paul
Chris Gayle is the perfect example of age not being a barrier. The Universal Boss showed how explosive he can be at the top of the order against England earlier this year.
The Windies didn’t even qualify for the Champions Trophy.
John Campbell looks as good as anyone whenever he plays a flick shot or a cover drive. He hasn’t converted any of his starts yet, but he will get chances in the tri series versus Bangladesh and Ireland prior to the World Cup to gain confidence.
Darren Bravo will be the one who will be looking to bat long while everyone else looks to blast opposition bowlers. world-class batsman and it’s great to see him back again. Shimron Hetmyer is bloody talented.
Averaging over 40 and a strike rate of 110, he will be looking to take on the game and will play a crucial role at no.5. Evin Lewis scored 176 the last time he played an ODI in England and will be a backup opener for the West Indies.
Andre Russell is showing in the IPL what the West Indies are missing at 7. He’s scored 257 runs at an average of 128.5 so far.
What was more impressive was his mature 50 on a very slow Chepauk pitch binding his time and accelerating at the right time. He can be a handy sixth bowling option should Jason Holder need his services.
Jason Holder has improved as a leader and it’s positively affected his game as a batsman and as a seam bowler. Really looking forward to how he goes. Carlos Brathwaite has played some decent knocks lately but with Andre Russell’s form in the IPL, he may have to prepare for a bench warming role in the World Cup.
Ashley Nurse and Sunil Narine are both bowling all rounders who complement each other well should they play as spin twins. Narine deserves to come back in as his mystery spin is still sometimes hard to pick despite a refined action.
Shai Hope has been brilliant with both bat and gloves. Averaging 45 and four ODI tons, he will be key batting at 3. His glovework is just as good and should there be an injury, Darren Bravo and Shimron Hetmyer would be the viable back up options.
The pure raw pace of Oshane Thomas has been inconsistent, but the X factor he provides troubling batsman can be handy in England. Jamaican military man Sheldon Cottrell has been tight with the new ball and his military style celebrations are one to look out for.
Kemar Roach seems to be reviving his career lately, bowling accurately and getting his pace up to 140s again and Keemo Paul will want to cause a storm for the right reasons, unlike in the 2016 U-19 World Cup where he made headlines for his mankad.
Ghost Crayfish
Roar Pro
I think you’re close, but one all-rounder too many for me. I think the West Indies can afford one or even two more genuine front line bowlers in their team. Quality bowling under pressure is going to be important, because batsmen will be very severe on anything else. Cottrell is an accurate left-arm pace bowler and needs to play. Then I think the final place in the XI comes down to conditions. If the pitch favours spin, I’d play Nurse. If there’s something in it for the quicks, Thomas/Gabriel/Paul should play. If it’s just a hopelessly flat deck, go the extra hitting of Braithwaite in the lower order.
Neel
Roar Guru
Hetmyer is a player to watch out for in the future as well as Oshane Thomas. Hetmyer is a special talent. They are really good. I like the look of Alzarri Joseph and they might consider him for the World Cup.
VivGilchrist
Roar Rookie
Hard to tell with the Windies. They are on the improve and matched it with England but some of their “superstars” are overrated. Smacking around domestic level bowling in T20 franchise cricket is a few pegs down from facing international attacks for 50 overs.
Brian
Guest
What about Joseph didn't he take 6/12 the other day. Gayle Lewis Hope Bravo Hetmyer Holder (c) Russell Braithwiatte Nurse Narine Roach
dungerBob
Roar Rookie
India, England and hopefully us. Pak will be thereabouts but I put the WI a touch in front of them. South Africa are a good chance as well. So is NZ for that matter, but I'll stick to my guns on what I said.
Paul
Roar Guru
Bearing in mind there are only 4 teams in the knockouts, Bob, who do you think will make the finals apart from the West Indies?
dungerBob
Roar Rookie
I really rate the WI. Some say they are too reliant on Gayle to score their runs but I'm not so sure about that. There are dangerous and very capable batters all the way down that list. The bowling is as dangerous as any team in the tournament imo. I'm not sure if Russel has been bowling much lately but if you can get a few overs out of him as a 6th bowler that seems pretty awesome to me. I expect the WI to make it past the round robin stage and once they're in the knockouts anything can happen.
Paul
Roar Guru
I think the West Indies should be using this years World Cup as a sighter for the next one in 2023? They have a lot of raw talent that needs to be developed as a team, not as a support to the Chris Gayle show. I don't doubt they'll cause some serious issues if/when Gayle fires. but they have to learn to win without him or if he fails and right now, that seems beyond their reach on a consistent basis.