Its beginning to look a lot like progress in the WINDIES camp
Mon, Dec 23, '19
Following the completion of their final assignment of the calendar year, on Sunday night local time in Cuttack—where India rallied to a 4-wicket win in the series-decider to edge the three-match One-Day International series 2-1—the West Indies can depart the subcontinent taking heart from their 7:6 win/loss ratio over the last six weeks. WINDIES were able to cop their first ODI series victory in five years, with a 3-0 whitewash of over Afghanistan. And despite the series loss to India, (in the same format) there have been positive signs from Pollard’s men.
There is a saying: ‘there’s a way to lose’—not only the accumulation of losses, in recent times, that has been a bother to Caribbean fans, but what was seen as a lack of fight from the players. And so, fans would have been pleased by the threat the West Indies posed throughout this series. Although finishing on the losing side, the West Indies were by no means swept aside.
In fact, the successful chase of 288 by Hetmyer and company, to take the lead in the series, was arguably an underrated effort: Firstly, the target of 288 was; (a) 73 runs above par (b) the second highest total and (c) the highest run-chase in the previous nine matches hosted at the ground, in the last decade. Not least, the calculated manner in which the Caribbean side was able to get to their target.
Despite the 107-run defeat in the second ODI, the exploits of Nicholas Pooran's 75 (47), alongside the anchoring Shai Hope’s 78 (85), kept WINDIES in the run-chase, while they were at the crease.
The Barabati Stadium, having a first innings average of 372 in completed ODIs since 2013, made the decision to send Roston Chase ahead of Shimron Hetmyer—at the fall of the first wicket, in the 15th over, with the run rate at 3.80—a strange one. Still, it provided Paul and company, being asked to defend a total 57 runs below the par score, with the rare opportunity to play match-winners, having been outshone by their batting counterparts for a majority of the tour. Taking what should have been a straight forward chase to the 49th over.
The West Indies will turn their attention to Ireland’s visit to the Caribbean having witnessed the first real series of dominance from Shai Hope, Shimorn Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran, as a trio. The batsmen labelled as the ‘future’ of West Indies cricket accounted for a whopping 67% (595 of 886) of the runs scored by the West Indies in this series. Barring injuries, Caribbean fans are in for a real treat come January.
