Top 5 reasons why West Indies bowed out of the Champions Trophy

The West Indies have seen a minor resurgence in their fortunes in recent years. They have become a competitive side in the limited overs version of the game after a few dull years at the International level. Some credit of this resurgence must go to the success of the T-20 format. The West Indian cricketer seems highly suited for that format of the game as he is usually a great entertainer, a powerful hitter with the bat and an imposing figure running at you with the cherry. West Indian cricketers dominate the T-20 leagues all over the world and that has helped them at the International level. However, this minor resurgence did not translate into a significant performance at the Champions Trophy and that has been a bitter disappointment for cricket fans all over the world.

West Indies were partly unlucky as their last match, which was critical to their semi-final chances in the tournament, was interrupted by rain and the infamous duo of Duckworth and Lewis. It was a heartbreaking encounter for the Caribbean fans that was effectively won and lost on a single delivery. However, the greater blame of the exit must be borne by the failures and shortcomings of individual departments of the team. Here is a list of five reasons why West Indies could not make their way to the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy.

5. Chris Gayle‘s failure

The Gayle storm that so often devastates the T-20 competitions around the world was shackled by different bowling attacks in the Champions Trophy. The impact that Gayle can have on a match is so huge that teams have started to pay singular attention to finding weaknesses in his batting style. He got promising starts in each game of the competition and was dismissed in the 30′s each time. It seemed like that he had made a conscious adjustment to his game for the welfare of his team as he approached the first few overs with caution but he could never take off. It was a loss for the West Indies team as well as for cricket fans all over the world who keenly anticipated a Gayle-storm.