T20 World Cup 2022: 3 reasons why West Indies could struggle in the tournament
West Indies have been the team to watch out for in the shortest format. They won the coveted T20 World Cup trophy on two occasions - the 2012 and 2016 edition. They are the only team in the history of T20 cricket to capture the title twice.
However, the Windies have landed in Australia with a peculiar situation. Having failed to gain direct entry in the mega tournament, the Caribbean side will have to play qualifiers before competing in the multi-nation contest. They are placed in Group B along with Scotland, Zimbabwe, and Ireland in the qualifiers stage.
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The team did not have the ideal start to their campaign, having lost both the T20Is to Australia. The team will miss the services of Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, who have retired from international cricket. They would also be without the all-round skills of Andre Russell as he is not part of the squad for the T20 World Cup.
So, the prognosis doesn't look good. Here are 3 reasons why the two-time former champions could find it hard to compete in the T20 World Cup 2022:
#1 High economy rate of fast bowlers
The Windies pace outfit has variety. Sheldon Cottrell and Obed McCoy are left-arm pacers and bring an extra dimension to the pace attack. The likes of Jason Holder, Odean Smith, Kyle Mayers, and Alzarri Joseph have been a part of the Windies T20I outfit for a reasonable period.
The main concern for the team, however, is the economy rate of their pace bowlers. Sheldon Cottrell in 2022 has an economy rate of 8.32 in 8 T20I matches. McCoy too has struggled to control the flow of runs, especially in death overs, and has a disappointing economy rate of 9.44 from 11 T20Is this year. His career economy rate of 8.44 in 24 T20Is is also on the high side.
Jason Holder is one of the most experienced pacers in the Windies squad. However, he has also struggled to contain the opposing batsmen in the shortest format. A career economy rate of 8.39 in 46 T20Is does not make good reading.
Odean Smith has struggled to control his line and length in the shortest format and has an economy rate of 9.90 in his career. Mayers too has an economy rate of 8.77 in T20Is. Joseph, who made his T20I debut earlier this year, has been decent. He has 10 T20I wickets in seven matches and has a moderate economy rate of 7.71.
Thus, none of the West Indies pacers have an economy rate of less than 7.50 in T20Is and struggle to contain the opposition's batsmen
#2 Strike rate of top-order batsmen in 2022
T20 is the format of scoring the maximum possible runs in power-play overs. Most teams have top-order batsmen who take advantage of field restrictions by playing attacking cricket.
The West Indies top-order batsmen have failed to provide quick runs for the team in 2022. Brandon King has played 15 T20I innings in 2022 and has a strike rate of 116.91.
Shamarh Brooks has an ordinary strike rate of 100 in seven T20I innings this year. Scoring at a run-a-ball for a top-order batsman in this day and age of T20 cricket is not considered acceptable.
Johnson Charles too has struggled to get going in the power-play overs and has a strike rate of 100 in two T20Is this year.
Apart from Kyle Mayers, who has a strike rate of 130.22 in 2022, none of the other West Indies batsmen have given them the kind of starts expected of them in T20Is.
#3 West Indies' dismal record in Australia in T20Is
West Indies have played five T20Is in Australia to date. Out of the said matches, they have tasted success in just one and have lost the remaining four encounters.
Also, in 2022, the Windies have played 21 T20I games and have lost 13 of them. They have won only seven matches this year and one was washed out due to rain. Their record in the last 10 games has been dismal, having lost eight of them.
The West Indies have a relatively inexperienced squad in the T20 World Cup 2022. They could create an odd upset in the tournament but could struggle to win the coveted trophy for the third time.