Will it be a Happy Anniversary?

It’s been a full decade since the West Indies tasted World Cup glory when they defeated the Australians in the final at Eden Gardens, Kolkata in 2016. Can they have a happy anniversary?

There are five players from that champion team, the Class of 2016, returning for this campaign: (then) captain Stafanie Taylor, Afy Fletcher, Deandra Dottin, Shemaine Campbelle and current skipper, and Player of the Match in that final, Hayley Matthews. That is an incredible amount of experience, not just for a World Cup, but the experience of playing in a World Cup final.

Squad

Hayley Matthews (capt), Chinelle Henry, Deandra Dottin, Stafanie Taylor, Afy Fletcher, Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle (wk), Ashmini Munisar, Karishma Ramharack, Jannillea Glasgow, Jahzara Claxton, Qiana Joseph, Zaida James, Mandy Mangru, Shawnisha Hector

Key Players to Watch 

Well, apart from the five mentioned above – and they will have an enormous impact no doubt, across their various disciplines. Matthews, Dottin and Taylor can explode at any minute as we’ve all seen on numerous occasions. With Campbelle barking orders from behind the stumps, to Fletcher’s proven class with the ball, it is a great nucleus.

Pace bowling is of slight concern. There’s no more of the bustling Shamilia Connell or the metronomic Shakera Selman. It leaves an opportunity for the ever improving Jahzara Claxton, who is also handy with the bat. This tournament may be the coming of age of the former U19 star.

Similar could be said of allrounder, Zaida James, another product of the U19 set-up. Has struggled to make a major impact so far in her brief career, but her left-arm slow bowling could be very useful in the Powerplay overs.

Qiana Joseph is another interesting one. A dynamic punisher of anything bowled short to her, but shot selection something for her to be mindful of. As with James, she is canny left-arm slow bowler.

Strengths/weaknesses 

Having no less than five players who have won a final should not be underestimated. It takes a certain mental toughness to win such a game, so if the Windies make the finals, don’t expect nerves to play a part.

The team starts with dominant power at the top of the order and they bat quite deep. West Indies are made for this type of cricket and with at least one left-hander in the top order, with more down the list, there’s going to be plenty of bowlers getting headaches from this unit.

The fielding is generally very good, with a top class keeper in Shemaine Campbelle behind the stumps. She is the team motivator and her value to the fielding side is immense. Good outfielders too, with the likes of Chinelle Henry and who is likely to test Deandra Dottin‘s arm at point? Only a fool.

Great variety of options in the spin bowling department. Apart from the skipper, there’s three other off-break options between Taylor, Ashmini Munisar and Karishma Ramharack; then there’s James, Joseph (left-arm).

It’s a well rounded side until we get to the pace department. It’s not bad but it is the Windie’s weakest link. It be necessary for veteran Chinelle Henry to step up, with good support from Shawnisha Hector and Claxton.

Fixtures

Pool B:

• 13th June: New Zealand
• 18th June: Scotland
• 21st June: Sri Lanka
• 24th June: England
• 27th June: Ireland

Tournament Prospects

From West Indies coach, Shane Dietz:

“If we play our best cricket we feel we can compete with anyone on our day. We have some dangerous players and some newer faces which we hope could add to our depth. English conditions can be tricky and vary day to day, and venue to venue, so we have tried to plan for all occasions with lots of variety with bat and ball. We are here now at a training camp getting accustomed to conditions and play a tri series in Ireland which should prepare us well for this World Cup.”

Sitting down to a serving of jerk chicken while putting on the maroon jersey, let’s carve our way through the World Cup jungle to get the Windies to the finals. They’re in the better of the two groups and could easily be labelled as one of the favourites in Pool B to make it to the semis.

All World Cup matches are tough, but the toughest opponent in this group is current champions, New Zealand. To topple them would give the team great momentum, but all is not lost if they lose to the White Ferns.

Next up is Scotland. Not for a minute should the Wildcats be taken lightly, but this should result in a Windies win. They’ve played Sri Lanka 29 times for 20 wins – although it should be mentioned that Sri Lanka recently beat them 2-0, so while the long term record is solid, recent returns have been bleak. This will be a tough match.

They have England on the 24th. By then, England will be riding high or floundering. Another tough game, but if England are riding high they might just take their eye off the ball in this match. The Windies have only won nine from 32 matches, so they’re up against it here, but again, it could come down to just where England are at this stage.

The record against Ireland is 9/10, so let’s put that in the win column. Victory against both Scotland and Ireland isn’t enough. They must defeat Sri Lanka, and hopefully England, to get themselves to the semis.

Prediction

It’s a difficult task to predict what will happen to the West Indies, even on a good day. The team is cherished the world over and all sentimental hearts would love to see them make the finals on this tenth anniversary of their historic victory.

But fairy-tales don’t happen very often in cricket and it’s going to take a mighty effort for the Windies to make the finals. Can they? Never write off the West Indies!