The West Indies are one of the greatest T20 sides in the world. The muscle power the West Indies posses are probably second to none. Despite their downfall in the longest format of the game, their rise in the shortest format of the game has been truly mighty. West Indies are the only team to have won the ICC T20 World Cup on more than one occasion. As a matter of fact, they are currently the defending champions as well.
West Indies had won the ICC T20 WC in the previous edition of the tournament which took place in 2016. Coming into this T20 WC, they were among the favorites once again. However, they suffered a huge defeat in their opening game. It was safe to say that England demiloshed them last night. The batters of West Indies only got to 55. Well can say it was just a bad day on the field for them, things don’t look too bright for the West Indies as we speak. Today we shall talk about why the defending champions West Indies might struggle in this T20 World Cup 2021?
1) Lack of Anchors:
Irrespective of the conditions, an anchor is always important in a T20 match. Although the shortest format of the game demand you to strike the ball from the word go, you still need atleast one batter who can rotate the strike and hold the innings from one end. The need for an anchor increases when you play in conditions like the UAE where the ball doesn’t come to the bat properly. West Indies however don’t really have an anchor. They consist of sloggers throughout their batting unit. The one player capable of being an anchor is Roston Chase who is yet to make his T20I debut. He was warming the bench in their first game against England as well.
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2) Lack of New Ball Bowlers:
The powerplay overs are very crucial in T20I games. It decides the fate of the game. It is the make or break time for both the teams. Thus, you need to have good new ball bowlers in your side. West Indies unfortunately do not have that. Their team is filled with death bowlers. As a matter of fact, their lead bowler is someone who is playing a T20 WC after almost 8 years. A lot will depend on their spinner when it comes to bowling in the powerplay overs. Thus, it is a major concern for them.
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3) Lack of Form:
You need to go to a World Cup with your players being in form. West Indies have been unfortunate in this case as well. Many of their key players haven’t been in the best of form of late. Their lack of match practise haven’t helped their cause either. While Lewis, Bravo and Hetmyer have been in decent form in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, the others haven’t. Nicholas Pooran has been in awful form as he has a string of low scored in the last few months.
The West Indies skipper Pollard himself has struggled to middle the ball as well. So has Simmons. Thus, the West Indies players are out of touch and are struggling to play like they used to.
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Edited By : Devansh Awasthi