How long till the barren years end, West Indies?
They are dynasties in cricket, there’s a legacy in the sport and there’s pride. West Indies had everything. ‘Had’. But, what now?
It’s been years since the entire West Indies cricket setup, forget great, even looked stable. We all know about that and that’s a topic for most days, not today. Because today we talk about how the Windies are still living off the reputation of the 2016 WT20 win. That day, if not a dynasty or a legacy, the Caribbean boys were certainly filled with pride for they had, against all odds, lifted the trophy. Then, more than ever, the Windies big hitters were seen and celebrated. Darren Sammy’s formidable men had roared into the forefront of recognition. Not just their fans, but the fans all across the world must have rejoiced their comeback in at least one format of the game. Since then, they have been as specialists of the shortest format.
But what T20 specialists would lose 25 out of 39 matches that they’ve played ever since the WT20 final at Eden Gardens? And now, more than three years since it’s India again. A familiar territory, a rather forgettable form. Windies haven’t put up any show for the fans, what they’re known for in a long time. They’ve proven over and over time that glimpses of sparks don’t mean anything in the big picture. Chris Gayle is nearing the end of his career, only sporadically in the team. Andre Russell is a mainstay only in T20 leagues. And the last spectacular performance by the team that I can recollect is the one by Carlos Brathwaite, against New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup.
Following their exit from the ICC tournament, they continued battling poor form with a whitewash in the home series against India. But their recent failures against the Indian team across formats are not so recent. The Indian dominance over the Windies in the T20Is has been cemented over the past few years. They have lost to the Men in Blue in their last six outings against the team and we already know the failures are not just against one team. The fans must now be assuming that this contest would be another one-sided affair.
A new limited-overs captain in the form of Kieron Pollard. The elimination of Carlos Brathwaite from the T20I setup. Losing Dre Rus, Sunil Narine among the mainstays was definitely a setback. Replacing Shai Hope with Denesh Ramdin is again, what I feel, is similar to India’s inclination towards Dinesh Karthik. West Indies literally have no hope. They’re still running after CPL glories, the biggest example being Brandon King’s, who averages 55.11 in the T20 league with a strike rate of 148.94, but failed terribly against Afghanistan. So the visiting team have decided to keep their experimentation going on, according to coach Phil Simmons, with the T20 World Cup, to be held in Australia next year, in focus.
But frankly, they don’t have the luxury to do it with this current form. However, I’m sure the fans would, deep inside, carry a hope that the good old West Indies spark comes out at some point.
The spark that I’m talking about was seen when Bangladesh toured India recently. The neighbours didn’t end up winning the T20I series but put in as much competition and excitement for the fans. With their ecstatic performance, they have set the bar high for weaker teams that tour India. The least West Indies can do is live up to Bangladesh’s standards, while the former are still considered to be a better side in the shortest format.
Coming to the broader picture, as we’ve already established that despite being World Champions, the Windies don’t have the luxury to set the experimentation for the 2020 T20 World Cup. Instead, they should build the team one series at a time. So, why not start now? Against India, who Kieron Pollard believes, are the ‘World No.1’.
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