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HEADLINE: Time running out for Windies before the World Cup

 
CaribbeanCricket.com 2019-02-19 07:18:09 

It's unthinkable really, a World Cup without the West Indies. It's never happened before, of course. But if last year's qualifying competition in Zimbabwe had had the Decision Review System in place, as it should have, Jason Holder's men would have probably been knocked out at the semi-final stage at the hands of Scotland. That would have meant no West Indies in England this summer and no World Cup campaign for the team to prepare for. It could so easily have been the case.

Playing for a place in the final of the qualifying tournament, and thus a place at the World Cup proper, Scotland were just behind the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern par score as rain clouds loomed in Harare. It was then that Richie Berrington was given out LBW to a ball which was clearly going to miss leg-stump. With no DRS available because of cost considerations, the decision stood, raising the DLS par score and meaning that Scotland fell, agonisingly, five runs short of victory. West Indies, who lost the final to Afghanistan, progressed to the World Cup as a result.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of the ICC's decision to run a ten-team World Cup - and there are so many wrongs about it - West Indies can count themselves fortunate to be there, not just for the manner of their victory over Scotland, but also because their recent form in 50-over cricket has been dire. They have clearly not been amongst the best ten ODI teams of the past two years.

They have won just 11 of their 40 matches in that time, a win-loss ratio that places them 14th of all the teams who have played ODI cricket in that period. They have not won any of their last 17 series and failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy in 2017. It is little wonder then that they will start as severe underdogs in the five-match series against England beginning in Barbados on Wednesday.


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Narper 2019-02-19 12:28:17 

Eaxactly 100 days to go