Takeaways from Englands tour of the Caribbean; CWC 2019 edition
Fri, Mar 15, '19
It has been tough going assessing a disrupted West Indies as they prepare for the Cricket World Cup; when one thing or the other has continuously kept potential starters out of the line-up over the last eight months. However, we did manage to make several observations from teams fielded from the available resources.
Firstly, what could prevent a fit Evin Lewis from being named in the World Cup squad? Not even a lack of form, it seems. Certainly not Kieran Powell, Chandrapaul Hemraj or John Campbell making even a whispered claim for the opening position while the left-hander was unavailable for whatever reasons.
To say ‘no Chris Gayle, no runs’ is the easiest ‘analysis’ of the Windies batting display during the England tour. However, there was no Gayle on the Indian subcontinent when batsmen (Hetmyer and Hope), from this same line-up, gave several fairly decent accounts of themselves. But as has been, what we can now call, the innate issue with the West Indies – Hope and Hetmyer were a far cry from consistent during this tour.
However, if the West Indies has any hopes of being competitive in anywise at the World Cup, there is need to stress the importance of consistency from Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer. There was genuine excitement for what Hope would bring to the just-concluded limited overs leg of the England series, but following an impressive 64 in the first ODI and a steady 33 in the second, the right-hander did not look himself. Still, we keep in mind that Hope was in good nick on the previous two tours (of India and Bangladesh),remaining hopeful this series was a mandatory ‘bad patch’ (could we label him ‘out of form’ based on a handful of matches?) and that following this break, we’ll see an in-form Shai Hope when the Tri-Series comes around.
There is less optimism in Rovman Powell’s case, as there is a very realistic possibility that he might have lost his seat on that plane to Europe. Powell, who has had an almost uncontested place in the West Indies team since the World Cup Qualifiers, in March of last year, failed to make the ‘finisher’ position his own, prior to England’s tour of the Caribbean. There were those of us willing the Jamaican on, to make hay while the sun shined; that is, making himself indispensable to this team while he was preferred to Brathwaite or while the likes of Russell was unavailable. However, it is a sad truth that the talent we know the right-hander possesses has, to date, seldom come to fruition on the international stage.
Now, with Russell being Windies’ number one choice as finisher and based on Brathwaite’s recent displays with the ball in the just-concluded tour, bumping him up to number two; Powell suddenly finds himself down the pecking order. There is still hope, if a fit Rovman Powell should have a last roll of the dice when the tri-nation series among Bangladesh, Ireland and the West Indies bowls off just before the World Cup; where both Russell and Brathwaite should be involved in IPL 2019 as CWI seems determined not to request players to cut their IPL tournament short to be involved.
Someone who has taken his chances, however, is Sheldon Cottrell. If we remember clearly, Cottrell was initially a part of Windies’ squad in Zimbabwe for the ICC World Cup Qualifiers. Unfortunately, through injury, he was replaced by Keemo Paul in the tournament. Now being a replacement himself, for the injured Kemar Roach, Cottrell has grabbed his opportunity with both hands. The left-arm seamer has been Windies’ best bowler since being drafted into the team, striking in every game except the final T20I and finishing the limited overs leg of the tour with eleven wickets (seven in ODIs and four in T20Is). Cottrell has surely put himself at the front of the selectors’ minds for CWC 2019.
It seems the West Indies has strummed the correct chords in terms of using Oshane Thomas just at the end of the first powerplay going into the second – the latter being where their wickets’ column has been found wanting. Thomas has, since his debut in India, more wickets in the second powerplay than Bishoo and Nurse combined, over the same period.
This West Indies team is proving very difficult to balance. Perhaps, in response to the fact that neither of the Windies top five batsmen are able to provide the captain with five or six serious overs game after game. A possible solution to this problem come May? An in-form Marlon Samuels.
This will also satisfy this “need” the West Indies has in playing two spinner. Samuels will be satisfying the more desperate of Windies’ two cravings – Ashley Nurse instead of Devendra Bishoo. Seeing as Samuels and Nurse’s bowling styles are quite similar, this may render the Bajan surplus to requirements, asking the West Indies to leave him out of the team. But how realistic is it that the West Indies drops a fit Ashley Nurse?
The potential damage our pool of seamers (Holder/Roach/Cottrell/Thomas/Paul) could cause at the World Cup with the defining characteristic of the English conditions being the main asset of four of these five bowlers – swing – is unreal; lest we forget that the quickest of the lot, Oshane Thomas, also swings the ball.
Therefore, things are not as bad as they seem at first glance; Marlon Samuels adds another bowling option as well as experience to the batting, needless to say if there was ever a tournament player, Samuels is it. While, a fit Andre Russell is the finisher this Windies batting line-up seeks. The seam pool the Caribbean has offered up for English conditions could rival many. Keemo Paul can handle the death-bowling responsibility as this is an area Holder is ever-improving in, while Andre Russell has the experience! So chin up, Windies fans.
