The Independent Voice of West Indies Cricket

Depleted WINDIES set to bowl-off World Cup qualification in Bangladesh

Tue, Jan 19, '21

by KRISSANIA YOUNG

Commentary

With a squad devoid of no less than seven first-choice players, a captain overlooked for selection for the last 25+ months and a deputy that has a 20-month gap on his ODI CV (having only 12 caps), the West Indies will begin their quest for a first ODI series win over Bangladesh in six years, when the teams face-off in the first of three matches, bowling off on Wednesday morning, Caribbean Time.

And with additional forced changes to the already unrecognizable outfit, the final 14-man squad to challenge The Tigers reads Jason Mohammed (captain), Sunil Ambris (vice-captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Keon Harding, Jahmar Hamilton, Chemar Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Andre McCarthy, Kjorn Ottley, Rovman Powell, Raymon Reifer.

This three-match series will be the West Indies’ first taste of the ICC Super League which is set to run up until March of 2023. The tournament, which will serve as part of the 2023 World Cup qualification process, will indeed have a league format, with each of the thirteen teams (twelve ICC full-member nations plus the Netherlands) involved, playing eight of the other nations—once—in three-match series, split evenly, home and away.

At the end of the competition, the top-seven teams, plus hosts—India—will directly qualify for the World Cup, with the remaining teams going to a playoff tournament.

Now, the West Indies could hand out up to eight debuts by the end of the series, as 64% of the current squad is without experience in this format, at the International level. But though counted among those lacking in experience, the highly-thought-of wicket-keeper-batsman, Joshua Da Silva, might well be asked to partner vice-captain Sunil Ambris at the top of the innings. And while stand-in skipper, Jason Mohammed, is a certainty, the remaining gap in the middle-order will be filled by the likes of Nkrumah Bonner, Jahmar Hamilton, Kyle Mayers and Andre McCarthy, with Rovman Powell the lone recognized finishing option.

Though skepticism surrounds this tour, there will be real interest from Caribbean fans when it comes down to the quicks, with the likes of Alzarri Joseph, Chemar Holder and Keon Harding all at the disposal of coach Phil Simmons, to be complemented by the lone specialist spinning option of Akeal Hosein.   

The West Indies’ task against Bangladesh, all things considered, will be quite the ask, with WINDIES having not triumphed over the hosts in six years. The number seven-ranked Bangladesh’s advantage over the visitors lies not solely in the fact that this WINDIES squad has an average of eight ODIs among them, but for the fact that the hosts have only lost two bilateral home series in their last eleven, dating back to 2014.

During the last four years, the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium has hosted fifteen One-Day International matches. Nine of these matches have been won by the teams batting first. And with a first-innings average of 234 runs, teams have only surpassed the 300-run mark twice in this time, with four totals below the 200-mark.

Predicted XI: Ambris, Da Silva (wk), Bonner, Mohammed ©, Mayers, Powell, Reifer, Joseph, Hosein, Harding, C. Holder.

Series Schedule:

1st ODI, Wednesday 1:30 AM ECT (Wednesday 12:30 AM Jamaica Time) @ Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

2nd ODI, Friday January 22nd, 1:30 AM ECT (Friday 12:30 AM Jamaica Time) @ Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

3rd ODI, Monday January 25th, 1:30 AM ECT (Monday 12:30 AM Jamaica Time) @ Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.