While Andre Russell is one of the most effective players in the team, he should remember Uncle Ben’s dictum in Spiderman, “with great power comes great responsibility.” Is it too much to ask that he wields his powerful blade more responsibly? Granted, his explosiveness is legendary. And like all players of his ilk, you will have to tolerate the “bad” shot that gets him out if you praise the “good” one that races to the boundary or sails out of the ground. And yet, with the West Indies 190/5 when he joined the fray, needing 99 to win from all of 90 balls, the search for the big shot was unnecessary. The situation cried out for a cold, calculated approach. Scoring at the required rate, which was approximately six-and-a-half runs per over, is something Russell could do in his sleep.
The good thing for the West Indies is that this loss comes when they are just two games into a tournament that requires each side to play at least nine games. Therefore, they have a lot of time to identify their errors and take steps to avoid making them in the future contests. They have time enough to absorb the lesson of how to store away the inches they gain.
It is still very early days but the West Indies have been a bright spark in this World Cup. They set the tournament ablaze with their vicious bouncer assault on Pakistan, flattening them for 105 runs in 21.4 overs. They then used that same tactic to push Australia against the ropes, proving the efficacy of their pace-based strategy. If the feeling was that it only worked against Pakistan because they were an unruly, unreliable bunch who mostly played on low-bouncing subcontinent tracks, then how about the Australians who grew up on hard, bouncy wickets and who have the reputation of never taking a backward step. It largely worked against them too.
The good thing for the West Indies is that this loss comes when they are just two games into a tournament that requires each side to play at least nine games. Therefore, they have a lot of time to identify their errors and take steps to avoid making them in the future contests. They have time enough to absorb the lesson of how to store away the inches they gain.
It is still very early days but the West Indies have been a bright spark in this World Cup. They set the tournament ablaze with their vicious bouncer assault on Pakistan, flattening them for 105 runs in 21.4 overs. They then used that same tactic to push Australia against the ropes, proving the efficacy of their pace-based strategy. If the feeling was that it only worked against Pakistan because they were an unruly, unreliable bunch who mostly played on low-bouncing subcontinent tracks, then how about the Australians who grew up on hard, bouncy wickets and who have the reputation of never taking a backward step. It largely worked against them too.
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