T20 World Cup 2021: 3 reasons why West Indies failed in the tournament
Defending champions West Indies were among the favourites going into the T20 World Cup 2021. That's because they had a decent blend of experienced and young players who have performed well in international cricket.
However, the holders couldn't get going in the tournament. They were bowled out for only 55 in their tournament opener against England, and never really recovered from that. They lost against South Africa, Sri Lanka and Australia to finish a dismal fifth in the Group 1 points table.
WEST INDIES 55 ALL OUT! Stunning start from England!
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Their only win in the tournament came against Bangladesh. Considering the talent at their disposal, the defending champions massively underwhelmed at the T20 World Cup 2021. Here's a look at three reasons why the West Indies failed to get going in the tournament:
#1 Top-order failure
The West Indies' woeful top order was one of the big reasons for the team's failure at the T20 World Cup 2021. Chris Gayle scored just 45 runs in five innings at an average of nine and a strike rate of 91.84.
Lendl Simmons had a forgettable T20 World Cup 2021 campaign too. In two games, the right-handed opener scored just 19 runs at a strike rate of 45.24. He was subsequently left out of the team for the next three games. Roston Chase, coming in place of Simmons, fared no better, averaging just 16 in three games.
Evin Lewis scored a half-century against South Africa, but failed to get going in the other games; he averaged 21 in the tournament. The failure of the top order to get the team off to flying starts put enormous pressure on the middle order. That led to the West Indies crashing out of the World Cup before the semi-finals
#2 Absence of specialist fast bowlers
The absence of specialist fast bowlers in their playing XI massively hurt the chances of the West Indies in the T20 World Cup 2021
Obed McCoy had made an impressive start to his T20I career earlier this year. He was, however, ruled out of the tournament due to an injury after the West Indies' first match against England.
Ravi Rampaul was recalled to the team after almost six years. He was the highest wicket-taker in the recently concluded Caribbean Premier League, and was expected to replicate his heroics on the international scene. However, that was not to be. Rampaul picked up just two wickets in four games at an average of 49, and was subsequently left out of the XI against Australia.
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West Indies had to reply on all-rounders like Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell and Holder to do the bulk of the bowling in the absence of specialist fast bowlers. It was surprising that Oshane Thomas did not get a single game.
#3 Collective failure of all-rounders
Dwayne Bravo, who has announced his retirement from international cricket, had an ordinary T20 World Cup 2021 campaign. In five innings with the bat, he scored just 26 runs at an average of 6.5. He fared no better with the ball, taking just two wickets at an average of 68.5 and an economy rate of 8.56.
Andre Russell had a disappointing World Cup campaign as well. He scored just 25 runs in five innings at a dismal average of 6.25. With the ball, he picked up just three wickets at an average of 41 and a strike rate of 9.23.
Captain Kieron Pollard scored 90 runs at an average of 22.5, and had an average strike rate of 107.14. He bowled just 2.2 overs in the tournament. Jason Holder was not part of the original 15-member West Indies squad.
West Indies superstar Dwayne Bravo bid adieu from international cricket on Saturday after his team's crushing defeat against Australia in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021.
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However, an injury to Obed McCoy opened the doors for Holder, who played the last three games in the tournament. Holder picked up just one wicket, though, doing so at an average of 85. He did not get many chances with the bat, scoring only 24 runs in three innings.
All-rounders who have performed exceptionally well for the West Indies in the past few years, collectively failed in the T20 World Cup 2021. That played a role in the team's eventual unsuccessful title defence at the tournament.