Newzdaddy Cricket Updates
The West Indies team includes Tagenarine, the son of Chanderpaul, Kemar Roach, the king of the blocks Brathwaite, and numerous all-rounders.
The cricket matches beginning on Wednesday in Dominica may be characterised as a match between two underwhelming teams.
However, while the hosts’ struggles can be attributed to administrative and financial limitations, along with a lack of players who are talented and motivated enough, India has consistently underperformed at major events for the past ten years, despite having the world’s richest talent pool for the game and the BCCI’s access to powerful financial and administrative resources.
India should at the very least compete in the championship rounds of major events, but their persistent failure to do so raises some serious concerns.
The West Indies have been demoted to the second tier of cricket teams, or possibly even lower, at least in white-ball games. Their failure to go past the group round of the T20 World Cup in Australia last year was viewed as a significant setback for a team whose forte was thought to be the shortest format. But at least they arrived in Australia before the competition really got going.
In far-off southern Africa, their fate for the 50-over World Cup was set, and they would not be able to compete with India when the major competition began in October.
Many people believe that the outcome of the next two-Test series is already decided. Sunil Gavaskar even stated that “the team that the West Indies is today, you can go one day before the Test match starts and still beat them.” But lately, especially at home, the West Indies have not been easy prey in the five-day match. India will undoubtedly start as the clear favourites, but the hosts have a few players in their ranks who could pull off a few surprises.
The tour has been unusually low-key due to the West Indies’ declining reputation in white-ball cricket and India’s recent dominance in head-to-head matches (the men from the Caribbean having lost the last four Tests, with their last victory coming in May 2002 at Kingston, Jamaica). The tour, which also includes three ODIs and five T20Is (two of them in Florida), has not received much publicity, so one could be excused for not realising that the most closely watched cricket team has moved on to its next task.
The most notable victories for West Indies since the WTC’s inception have been two victories over England and one victory over Pakistan, and they have proven to be formidable opponents under comfortable circumstances.
Kraigg Brathwaite
The Test captain for West Indies can be thought of as Bazball’s exact opposite. His preferred shot appears to be the block, and his most successful shot is the innocent poke to the inside. Brathwaite will need to bat for a long period and for a significant score as the majority of the batters around him are not known for their patience. His under-35 average through 85 Test matches isn’t particularly impressive, but West Indies needs him to add to his 12 tonnes if they want to stand a chance.
Chanderpaul, Tagenarine
The 27-year-old may initially get notice due to his well-known last name, but in his first six Test matches, he has scored two centuries. On the most recent tour of Australia, his opening stand with Brathwaite irked the Australians. There are indications, notably the stance, that he may have inherited his renowned father’s tenacity and character.