The Independent Voice of West Indies Cricket

The incapable West Indies

Tue, Jun 14, '22

 

Commentary

THE three ODI games in the Pakistan series, played on June 8,10 and 12 at Multan, pretty well summed up the problems of West Indies cricket at the moment.

They could not come to terms with the opposition, led by Babar Azam, a super batsman.

It is deflating to all West Indian fans that WI were unable to pull off a win in even one game. It certainly tells a tale.

In the first, Nicholas Pooran, WI captain, won the toss and elected to bat. This decision revealed growing confidence in his team’s batting, by expecting them to establish a solid score, thus placing the Pakistani batsmen under some pressure.

In an ODI (50 overs), unless a pitch is judged to be bowler-friendly, then the right decision is to bat first. Batsmen are then supposed to take advantage of a good batting pitch to build a challenging score. The opposing batsmen then are forced to maintain a demanding scoring rate while chasing. A wicket or two falling at the right time for the bowling team could make this a daunting task for the batting side, because of the psychological impact it could cause.

Read more at T&T Newsday