The men from Caribbean are Champions in the past but currently, they are mere pushovers, which often drawn some comparisons with Liverpool Football Club from the English Premier League. After winning the tournaments in 1975 and 1979 with a legendary squad, the calypso men are yet to set a World Cup on fire since then. They finished as the runners-up in the 1983 World Cup and reached the semi-finals of the 1996 World Cup. Apart from these, they hardly gave a fight in the remaining editions. This time too, they go into the World Cup as a member of the top 8 teams. The recent dispute between the players and the West Indies Cricket Board saw their former captain Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard out of the squad, which makes the inexperienced pacer Jason Holder their skipper. With bleak hopes, let us see what the former champions have in stake for the World Cup.
West Indies after winning the 2012 World T20
West Indies’ World Cup History:
|
Year |
Position |
|
1975 |
Winner |
|
1979 |
Winner |
|
1983 |
Runners up |
|
1987 |
First Round |
|
1992 |
First Round |
|
1996 |
Semi-Finals |
|
1999 |
First Round |
|
2003 |
First Round |
|
2007 |
Super Eights |
|
2011 |
Quarter Finals |
West Indies Squad for the ICC World Cup 2015:
Captain: Jason Holder
Coach: Richie Richardson
Batsmen:
- Chris Gayle
- Dwayne Smith
- Darren Bravo
- Marlon Samuels
- Lendl Simmons
- Jonathan Carter
Bowlers:
- Jerome Taylor
- Jason Holder
- Kemar Roach
- Nikita Miller
- Sulieman Benn
- Sheldon Cotrrell
All-Rounders:
- Darren Sammy
- Andre Russell
- Stuart Binny
Wicket Keepers:
- Denesh Ramdin
West sans Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo lacks experience going into the World Cup
Strengths:
- All Rounders Darren Sammy and Andre Russell bring much needed balance into the side.
- Least expectations from them does not add pressure on the boys.
- Very good fielding unit with a lot of energetic youngsters in the side.
- Jerome Taylor’s consistency with the ball.
- Ability to score runs in a quick time.
Threats:
- Inexperienced kipper.
- Absence of Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine and Kieron Pollard.
- Current form of their players.
- Over dependent on Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels.
- They might be missing a quality spinner.
- Most of the players are new to the conditions in Australia and New Zealand.
Impact Players:
Christopher Gayle
Chris Gayle in full flow will take West Indies all the way
Chris Gayle at the top of the order is a huge advantage for the depleted West Indian side. Still the bowlers around the world fear him. Chris Gayle is the experienced of the West Indian team as he will be walking out to bat in his fourth World Cup. If Gayle sets his eye in, no ground is smaller for him and he will look to deliver goods for his side. Gayle batting through the majority of overs will see the Windies in a stronger position. Having said that, the Jamaican is not in a rich vein of form but he will look to get things right when he comes out to bat against Ireland in Adelaide on 16 February 2015.
Marlon Samuels
In-form Marlon Samuels
Marlon Samuels is West Indies’ most consistent batsmen in the last couple of years and a lot is expected from the newly appointed Vice-Captain in the 2015 World Cup. Samuels is the batsman in form and will look to utilize it to maximum effect to help his side to do well in the World Cup. Walking in to bat at the fall of second wicket, Samuels is batsman who used to start cautiously, set himself in, keeps the scorecard ticking in the middle overs and then go for the final kill. He just needs some company around him to help his side post a big total on the board.
Jason Holder
Jason Holder will be under a huge pressure
Young West Indian skipper Jason Holder will be facing the heat down under as he leads his team in the 2015 World Cup. Having appointed as the skipper just a couple of months before the World Cup, Holder is very inexperienced both as a player and as a captain. Holder’s predecessor Dwayne Bravo was sacked and axed from the team after he led the team that came home mid-way through the Indian tour following a dispute with WICB. Holder has played only in 26 games picking up 37 wickets at an economy of 5.55. More than a bowler, he will be tested as a captain. Senior cricketer including Chris Gayle and Darren Sammy should guide Holder if their team wants to perform well in the tournament.
Possible Playing XI: Chris Gayle, Dwayne Smith, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy, Andre Russell, Jason Holder, Jerome Taylor and Kemar Roach.
Can West Indies go all the way?
West Indies’ Schedule in the ICC World Cup 2015:
|
Match No. |
Date |
Against |
Venue |
Time |
|
1 |
16-2-2015 |
Ireland |
Adelaide |
0330 IST |
|
2 |
21-2-2015 |
Pakistan |
Christchurch |
0330 IST |
|
3 |
24-2-2015 |
Zimbabwe |
Canberra |
0850 IST |
|
4 |
27-2-2015 |
South Africa |
Sydney |
0850 IST |
|
5 |
6-3-2015 |
India |
Perth |
0630 IST |
|
6 |
15-3-2015 |
UAE |
Napier |
0330 IST |
|
Quarter Finals begin from March 18 |
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Semi-Finals Takes place on March 24 and March 26 |
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Finals on March 29 in Melbourne |
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