The new and young West Indies men’s cricket team is in the rebuilding phase. After some devastating performances in the last few years, the team is trying to get back on its feet. One of the important upcoming events that would help to judge the overall performance of the team is the 2022 T20 world cup in Australia. The initial start for the Caribbean team has been quite wobbly, with a 0-3 series loss against Pakistan. They also had an ODI series against the Ireland team, which did not go as planned. The 2-1 loss in the series occurred in their home grounds.
But even after these poor performances, Captain Kieron Pollard says he has faith in the current team. He added that the new crop of players would be tested in the upcoming series with England- one of the best limited over sides. Winning the series would be a crucial thing for them.
England team captain Eoin Morgan has stated that this series would be the perfect opportunity to introduce some fresh faces, analyze their performance and overcome the disappointment that has occurred in the 2021 Oman World Cup. Even after being one of the top teams in the game, they lost to New Zealand in the semifinal in Dubai.
The current West Indies squad consists of a mix of some established players along with some fresh faces who have the potential of offering a lot in the game and leading the team towards victory. England too will try to win this five-series match and create a strong build-up before the tournament begins in Australia.
The last time the two teams faced each other was in a T20 series occurring in March 2019 in the West Indies. England remained dominant throughout the series and completely whitewashed the Caribbeans with a 3-0 win. They showed some great performance in those matches. Jonny Bairstow scored 117 runs and ended up being the top scorer in the series. Chris Jordan was the top bowler who took 6 wickets in the tournament.
Ahead of the match, West Indies skipper Pollard stated that batting was the biggest challenge for the team. He admitted that it’s high time they should concentrate on their batting style in order to improve in the game. The good news now is that the team has some new faces, and the team is expecting some good performances from them.
The skipper added that as they are using the new players, it’s like starting the game all over again from scratch. This is why it has become essential to get the basics right, depending on what the team wants at a given time. It is important that all the players develop themselves and give some good performances, which is possible with the crop of players they have to pick from, Desmond Haynes their lead selector suggests they “have talent” but worries about the numbers they have available to select from. Speaking to Betway, Haynes said that the West Indies “can’t compare to places like Australia and India because they have loads of players playing cricket”. With all these developments and by maintaining consistency, West Indies might win the 2022 T20 world cup in Australia.
