Former fast bowler Richard ‘Prof’ Edwards has called for Cricket West Indies (CWI) to take a radical approach to rebuild the fortunes of West Indies cricket, following a dismal showing at the ICC T20 World Cup.
Having entered the tournament as defending champions, the regional team crashed out of it after losing four of the five games played. The team’s lone win came against Bangladesh and even more concerningly they were comfortably beaten in the rest of the matches.
The batting line-up, which featured the likes of experienced players Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Lendl Simmons, Andre Russell, and Dwayne Bravo was particularly disappointing as they never seemed to come to grips with the circumstances.
“At no time when you saw West Indies batting did they give any idea or feeling of permanence there. The batsmen looked they were in a hurry to make shots, all the time looking for attacks.”
“When I compared how they batted with Finch and Warner of Australia for example, Rahul and Rohit for India, Williamson, and co in New Zealand and people like Babar Azam, it was looking like two different games altogether. The class that those other players exuded when they were batting, it didn’t look like at any time we were going to stick around for very long,” he added.
In light of such a catastrophic failure, Edwards believes major changes are needed, perhaps even with the leadership of the unit.
“You have to come in and be fairly cold about what you want to do. You want to try and look at the team and the players. How long they’ve been playing? Are they still producing?
“I would think that now you have to come in and be a little ruthless, look around and try to pick, but who are you going to pick? Do you have the resources? Whatever it is, now is the time to build. The supposedly experienced players never came to the party.”
Hamilton hits 96*; Cornwall, Walsh Jr dominate as Hurricanes go top with 84-run win over Volcanoes
Jahmar Hamilton, Rakheem Cornwall and Hayden Walsh Jr all played starring roles to lead the Leeward Islands Hurricanes to a comprehensive 84-run win over the Winward Islands Volcanoes in their CG United Super50 Cup game at the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground in St. Augustine on Friday.
The Hurricanes, after winning the toss and batting first, recovered from being 68-6 after 23 overs to post 180 all out off 48.4 overs, a respectable total in the end.
Hamilton, who came to the crease at 23-2 in the ninth over, carried his bat though the innings on the way to a career-best 96* off 128 balls including just five fours and two sixes.
To put into context how crucial Hamilton’s knock was, Jewel Andrew was the next highest scorer for the Hurricanes with 17.
Kavem Hodge starred with the ball for the Volcanoes with 4-26 from his 10 overs while Darel Cyrus was good in support with 2-33 from his 10 overs.
It was then the turn of the Leewards spin twins to take over proceedings as captain Rakheem Cornwall and Hayden Walsh Jr combined to take all ten wickets as the Windwards were bundled out for 96 in just 21 overs.
Cornwall led the way with 6-26 off nine overs while Walsh Jr took 4-20 off six overs as the Hurricanes moved to 38 points from five matches to sit at the top of the points table, one point ahead of the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force and six ahead of the Barbados Pride who were doing battle with the Combined Campuses and Colleges at the time of publishing.
Alick Athanaze was the only Volcanoes batting to pass 30 with his 34.
Full Scores:
Leeward Islands Volcanoes 180 off 48.4 overs (Jahmar Hamilton 96*, Kavem Hodge 4-26, Darel Cyrus 2-33)
Windward Islands Volcanoes 96 off 21 overs (Alick Athanaze 33, Rakheem Cornwall 6-26, Hayden Walsh Jr 4-20).
Samson century sets India on way to comfortable T20I win over South Africa
Sanju Samson's century and a strong bowling display set India on their way to a 61-run victory over South Africa at Kingsmead on Friday.
The teams met for the first time since the T20 World Cup final, with India once again coming out on top to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match T20I series.
Samson started strongly, plundering 107 in a knock which included 10 sixes, and held firm to get his second consecutive T20I century, even as Abhishek Sharma (7) and Suryakumar Yadav (21) were both taken early.
Tilak Yarma added 33, but Gerald Coetzee (3-37) helped to ensure India's momentum faltered, though the tourists still set a tough target, finishing on 202-8.
Any hopes of a quick start for South Africa crumbled though as Aiden Markram (8) fell inside the first over.
Varun Chakaravarthy (3-25) and Ravi Bishnoi (3-28) impressively stopped any rhythm from building, with the latter stopping South Africa's top-scorer Heinrich Klaasen on 25 as the hosts stumbled to all out for 141 in the 18th over.
Data Debrief: No home comforts
South Africa will have been looking to avenge their World Cup final loss, but their struggles on home soil continued in Durban.
They have lost their last five men's T20Is at Kingsmead, including their last four. Meanwhile, India are undefeated in their five matches at Kingsmead (W4 T1).
In fact, South Africa have lost 17 of their last 20 men's T20Is in South Africa, with India responsible for their last two such losses. They had only lost once in nine matches prior to this span (W7 T1).
The damage was done early on by Samson, whose hundred is the fastest by an Indian in T20Is against South Africa.
West Indies squad named for first two England T20Is in Barbados
Cricket West Indies has named a dynamic 15-man squad for the first two matches of the 'Rivalry' T20I series against England, with Rovman Powell leading the team as captain.
Following a dominant 2-1 ODI series win capped by a decisive eight-wicket victory at the Kensington Oval, the West Indies team heads into this series with renewed confidence. The squad announced for the first two games in Barbados showcases a mix of seasoned T20 stars and in-form players who have excelled in recent competitions.
The squad includes seasoned players such as Roston Chase and Shimron Hetmyer, alongside the versatile talents of Matthew Forde and Terrance Hinds. Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, and Shamar Joseph bring further strength to the lineup, while explosive batsmen Brandon King and Evin Lewis add depth at the top. Gudakesh Motie joins Nicholas Pooran, returning with Andre Russell after both missed the recent tour to Sri Lanka, and Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd complete a formidable squad, ready to go for another victorious series in front of home fans.
Guiding the team is Head Coach Daren Sammy, who is joined by Team Manager Rawl Lewis. Supporting Sammy are Rayon Griffith as the fielding coach, Floyd Reifer handling batting responsibilities, and James Franklin overseeing bowling. The team’s physiotherapist is Denis Byam, with Ronald Rogers providing strength and conditioning expertise, while Dane Currency attends to the squad’s massage therapy needs. Avenesh Seetaram contributes his analytical insights as the team analyst, and Jerome Foster will serve as the Media and Content Officer.
The 'Rivalry' series kicks off with two back-to-back matches at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on November 9 and 10, before moving to Saint Lucia for three more games at the Daren Sammy Stadium on November 14, 16, and 17. Fans across the Caribbean are set for an action-packed series as the West Indies aim to extend their undefeated home streak in T20Is, facing off against a challenging England squad in what promises to be a thrilling display of cricket.
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