World Cup qualifiers, ILP ‘23 confirm Windies’ low status

by Renwick Rose

If ever one wanted further confirmation of the low status of West Indies cricket in the world today, then two recent happenings provide such confirmation.

The first is the fact that the once proud West Indies team is preparing to go to Zimbabwe to try and qualify for the ICC’s one-day World Cup 2023. Years ago, one could never imagine that the Windies would have to battle with the likes of Oman, Nepal, the USA and the United Arab Emirates for a place in the World Cup finals.

It is the only previous winner in such a position, and a reminder that the team last won the trophy 44 years ago.

The second was provided in the course of the just concluded Indian Premier League (IPL), by far the leading T/20 League in the world. This is a league in which West Indies players used to be among the most dominant with the likes of Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Pollard, Narine and Russell being among the elite performers annually.

The cupboard has been running empty in recent years and only occasional performances gave memories of West Indian prowess. The Barbadian Kyle Mayers, displayed some consistency as an opener hitting four fifties in his season total of 379 runs. Nicholas Pooran showed flashes of his ability in two major innings but overall confirmed his inconsistency. He scored only two fifties in 14 innings though his overall strike rate was among the best. Hetmeyer generally batted too low but again did not seize the opportunity to stamp his presence, while Russell’s returns hinted at a decline.

Bowlers from the Caribbean were not a major factor in this year’s IPL.

Russell did not do too badly when used and Sunil Narine is clearly no longer feared, though still tidy with an economy rate just below 4 runs an over. Joseph was not used enough but had a couple good spells while Holder took only 4 wickets for the season and was expensive.

IPL: Dhoni’s triumph and Indian dominance

The 2023 season turned out to be such a triumph for former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who among Indian cricket fans ranks only behind Sachin Tendulkar in terms of adulation. Dhoni was expected to hang up his gloves after the season, having played in every edition of the IPL. Yet, with the valuable experience of Dwayne Bravo on his coaching staff, he led his Chennai Super Kings to victory in the rain-affected finals. Such was the adulation of his fans that he has decided to play at least one more year.

The season itself reaffirmed the status of dominance of Indian cricket globally. Young batsmen like Shubman Gill, the season’s leading run-getter and Jaiswal scored heavily, while Gaekwad and Suryakumar exhibited class and a host of youngsters engaged in productive power-hitting. Among the bowlers, Shami and Siraj confirmed that India, traditionally spin-dominated has firepower to match any team.