The virtual quarterfinal between India and West Indies is done and India have thumped West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on the back of a glorious 97 by Sanju Samson. Samson who opened the innings was under tremendous pressure since the start of the T20 World Cup but finally ended his run of drought last night.
Although West Indies lost, it was a collective failure from the team and failure to grab the key moments cost them the game. Led by skipper Shai Hope the boys in Maroon were the top contenders for the t20 World Cup particularly after the horrific season it had in the 2024 T20 World Cup at home and was unbeaten in the group stages.
The two-time T20 champions, West Indies is the King of the T20 format with big hitters in Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford and many more but, this is not only the sole reason for Windies’ sustained success in the shortest format. Several West Indian players are encouraged to participate in the t20 global leagues of the countries. Be it big bash, IPL, PSL, BPL, and even their own Caribbean Premiere League, the West Indies cricket board encourages its players to play in these leagues which eventually gives the players the exposure and experience to play in different conditions.
Downfall of West Indian cricket
West Indies is an island made up of several small countries and was one of the most feared teams in world cricket from 1950 to early 2000. That was the golden era of West Indian cricket with players like Vivian Richards, Clive Llyod, Gordon Greenidge in the batting order and Joel Garner, Malcom Marshall, Michael Holding, Ian Bishop in the bowling setup. Such was the fear and audacity of West Indies that the opposition was frightened simply by these names.
Then came the likes of Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose to carry the legacy forward. Fondly remembered for winning the inaugural ODI world cup in 1975 West Indies led by Clive Llyod became the first team to win consecutive ODI world cups.
West Indies was an unstoppable force in the test arena from 1970 to early 2000 and winning at the Gabba was one of the hallmarks of this team. Unfortunately, after 2000 West Indies could not find the talent who sustained and played all three formats consistently and with the rising t20 leagues the West Indian players chose the shortest format.
Nicholas Pooran, Dwyane Bravo, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard were all attracted to t20 which was one of the reasons to impact its test team. West Indies seemed to have no intent against India because Jason Holder wasted his first four balls by playing dots and in t20 it is unideal due to the pace of the game. Windies captain Shai Hope admitted to playing a sluggish knock.
Evolution Of T20
T20 has evolved over the years and today it is not about tone setting but smashing from the first ball. Two-time champions West Indies are like the trend-setters due to Darren Sammy who had a gun team in 2016 season.
Sammy’s team had big-hitters in Chris Gayle, Keiron Pollard, Bravo, Carlos Braithwaite, Russell who applied consistent pressure and the semi-final against India at Mumbai is the classic example of the power-hitting ability of Windies team. West Indies chased 193 in just 16 overs with seven wickets in hand and the winning momentum was then replicated into the final against England where Ian Bishop was remembered for his famous words, “Carlos Brathwaite remember the name” as Brathwaite smoked four sixes in the last over breaking the heart of several English fans and a crestfallen Ben Stokes lied on the ground.
West Indies problems
West Indies have long moved past from its t20 superstars in Pollard, Bravo and Gayle but seems like it has not churned out enough talent in the shortest format. it is a curious case with West Indies cricket because after losing a home test series against Australia, the board held a meeting to rejuvenate its test team but it has not borne fruits yet.
West Indies once known for its unreal domination in tests is now not even in the top four in the ICC rankings. According to the ICC test rankings, West Indies are placed 9th which says a lot about its future as a test team and the players’ care and responsibility to the longest and traditional format.
Future of West Indies Cricket
West Indies are officially eliminated from this tournament, but this is their chance to rebuild its t20 team and plan for the next t20 world cup. Probably it is time that West Indies cricket looks beyond Darren Sammy as a coach because he has been provided with a longer rope in spite of this Windies have not achieved the desired results. Also West Indies need to be financially stable and able to revive its cricket.
Also Read: ICC T20 WC 2026: Brendon McCullum Intends To Continue As England Coach Despite Challenging Winter.