Windies the ‘dark horse’

THE West Indies go into battle in the ICC 50 overs World Cup tomorrow against Pakistan, looking to end a drought since their last title 40 years ago.

Although not among the tournament favourites, West Indies are viewed as one of the “dark horses” to watch out for.

Boasting an array of powerful T20 hitters, the never-say-die attitude of captain Jason Holder, and the immensely in-form Shai Hope, West Indies have the potency to cause some damage with the bat in England. Their bowling, however, remains an issue and left-arm pacer Sheldon Cottrell, veteran quickie Kemar Roach, Holder, Carlos Brathwaite, Ashley Nurse, Oshane Thomas, Shannon Gabriel and Fabian Allen will need to be at their very best, or better.

The Windies will be going into the World Cup brimming with confidence following a 91-run demolition of New Zealand in their final warm-up on Tuesday. That victory was set-up by a brilliant batting performance spearheaded by Hope (101), Andre Russell (54), Evin Lewis (50) and Holder (47), laying the platform for a massive 421 all out. The Windies will be hoping their batsmen stay sizzling as they seek to defy the odds and win a World Cup.

Chris Gayle

The Universe Boss, who will turn 40 later this year, will be key in getting West Indies off to fast starts. Gayle has formed a dangerous opening partnership with fellow left-hander Evin Lewis. Gayle, who has had his issues with fitness, was in brilliant form against England in an ODI series, scoring over 400 runs in four innings to help the regional team to a 2-2 series draw in the five-match series. Gayle’s experience at the World Cup level will be key as this will be his fifth time playing on the world stage, unlike many of his team-mates who are playing for the first time.

Shimron Hetmyer

One of the most talented young batsmen in the region, the World Cup will be the right place for Hetmyer to announce himself on the world stage in his debut tournament. His statistics in ODI cricket in his short career so far show the ability of the left-hander as in 25 ODIs he has already struck four centuries at an average of 40. Hetmyer, who led the West Indies Under-19 team to the Under-19 World Cup title in 2016, is an aggressive player and is expected to bring some excitement to fans with his strokeplay.

Shai Hope

The Barbadian right hander is currently the team’s top batsmen having scored heavily over the past year. He now averages 51 in 54 ODI matches after a brilliant run of form which included two centuries in a tri-nation series against Bangladesh and Ireland earlier this year. Hope scored 470 runs in five matches at an average of 94. Hope, expected to bat at number three in the tournament, also has the responsibility of wicketkeeping during the tournament. His efforts have been recognised by the International Cricket Council as he is now ranked fourth in the world in ODI cricket.

Darren Bravo

The most experienced among the West Indies’ middle order batsmen, with 107 ODIs, but his aggregage of 2,820 runs at an average of 31.33 hints at a level of underachievement for such a talented player. At age 30 and in his second World Cup (he missed the 2015 edition due to a hamstring injury), Bravo will be keen to show his worth afnd dust off the rust from being out of the team for two years.

Jason Holder

Holder will be entering his second ICC Cricket World Cup, having made his tournament debut, as captain, at the 2015 edition in Australia and New Zealand.

Without the all-round duo of Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, who were both removed as captain and vice-captain after the ill-fated India tour months earlier, Holder lead the WI team to a quarter-final place, before they were trounced by the Black Caps by 143 runs.

The team has struggled at the ODI level since, and they had to go through a qualifier in Zimbabwe to book a spot in this year’s edition.

Holder has grown steadily, both as a batsman and a bowler, and spent the month of April with English county team Northamptonshire.

The lanky 27-year-old will be relying on his experience in English conditions, as well as his all-round skills, in order to achieve the ultimate goal.

Andre Russell

Nicknamed “Dre Russ”, the athletic Russell is useful in all three aspects of the game, with his power-hitting, energetic fielding and useful fast medium pace.

However, Russell has been troubled by a lingering knee injury (which has prevented him from playing at the First Class level), and will have to rely almost exclusively on his batting, especially in the lower order.

A veteran of two World Cups, Russell will be hoping third time is the charm.