West Indies cricket is known for having big names in the shorter format of the game. West Indies are the only team to have won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup twice in 2014 and 2016. In the shortest format, they have been one of the strongest teams. Teams used to fear their deep batting order and lethal plus smart bowling unit.
The West Indies team is filled with a mixture of all-rounders, power hitters, and fierce pace bowlers and this covers all the dimensions needed to win a T20 game. Their players play in T20 leagues around the globe and have gained a massive amount of experience. The Windies players have dominated in every T20 league, and when they all come together to play for the West Indies cricket team, they are the strongest team in the international circuit on paper.
Since winning the T20 World Cup in 2016, Windies cricket has slowly begun to decline as they haven’t achieved many victories. Windies are currently having a horrible year and their performance in this year’s T20 World Cup hints at their downfall in the shortest format of the game.
Windies’ disappointing form since 2016 triumph
The 2016 World Cup was a hard-fought win for Darren Sammy and his men as they faced a huge number of issues during the World Cup. Windies did everything right in 2016 and, after that, in 2017 too, as they were in red hot form. But the change of captain and problems within the cricket board led to a decline in their winning momentum. In 2018 and 2019, they had a win percentage of 26.67 and 16.67 respectively, which is a shame for such a talented side.
It continued in the year 2020 and even though their win percentage increased, it was still less than 50%. 2021 was one of the worst years for them as in 25 matches they lost 12, which accumulates to a win percentage of a mere 36%. They had the team, the experience, and exciting young talent, but still, they couldn’t manage to achieve what they should have. It has been one of the darkest stages for the West Indies in the 20 over format, as they have already lost their main sponsorship and, with increasing series defeats, they might lose their charm as one of the best teams in the world.
Big guns underperforming
Big names rejoined the West Indies team for the 2021 T20 World Cup, and with a side like that, they were one of the favorites to win the World Cup. But things went completely south as the Windies couldn’t even qualify for the knockout stage. Kieron Pollard and his men had a disappointing outing.
No doubt that Pollard is a world-class player, but his captaincy skills and his records are debatable. This year has made it worse as he has won five, tied three, and lost nine matches with a win percentage of 29.41%. Pollard’s numbers as captain are not good, and his captaincy has been one of the major issues for West Indies cricket this year.
Another major blow for the Windies this year is the lack of form of their big guns. The experienced lads like Gayle, Russel, Bravo, etc., made their comeback in the maroon jersey this year. A lot was expected from them, but none of them proved to be the match-winner for West Indies this year.
Chris Gayle
Gayle was pushed down the order at number three, which might have affected his batting ability. Gayle has scored 1899 runs in his career at an average of 27.92. But unfortunately, this year, Gayle couldn’t make the impact that was expected of him as he scored a meager 272 runs at an average of 15.11. Gayle might have retired from international cricket, which opens opportunities for youngsters, and this might be the right decision as the Universe Boss is not as effective as before.
Dwayne Bravo
The champion bowler and the maestro of the game, Dwayne Bravo, has excellent statistics in international cricket. He is the leading wicket-taker in this format of the game, and his experience and skills should have helped the Windies. But unfortunately, Bravo hasn’t been at his best in the maroon color, and with 19 wickets in 20 matches, one expected a lot more from a star bowler like Bravo.
Conclusion
West Indies have lost three series out of five, have been knocked out of the group stage of the T20 World Cup, and have won just nine matches out of 25 this year. It has been a horrible year for the men from the Caribbean, and their poor run from the last three or four years has continued. The Windies are losing their dominance in the shortest format of the game as they are continuing to lose matches and, this is a big sign of worry for the West Indies Cricket board.