West Indies survived a middle-order collapse to eke out a two-wicket win with seven balls to spare over India and take a 2-0 lead in their five-match T20I series at Guyana’s National Stadium on Sunday.
After restricting India to 152-7 from their 20 overs, the West Indies scored 155-8 from 18.5 overs.
India won the toss and chose to take first strike but lost wickets early as Alzarri Joseph dismissed Shubman Gill for seven and Kyle Myers ran out Shuryakumar Yadav for one to have the tourists at 18-2 in the fourth over.
Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma added 42 for the third wicket before Kishan was bowled by Romario Shepherd for 27. Sanju Samson was next to go, dismissed by Akeal Hosein for seven. India were then 76-4.
Varma and Karthik Pandya built a 42-run partnership that was broken at 42 when Hosein picked up his second wicket when he had Varma caught by Obed McCoy for 51. Pandya carried on before he was bowled by Joseph for 24.
Axar Patel made 14 that helped India approach 150. However, any chance of India making much more ended when he was bowled by Shepherd. Ravi Bishnoi raced to eight from four and Arshdeep Singh, six from three as India’s innings closed at 152-7.
Shepherd and Joseph had identical figures of 2-28 while Akeal Hosein took 2-29.
Needing to score at just over 7.5 runs an over, the West Indies were in dire straits losing two wickets in the opening over.
Brandon King was dismissed by Panda first ball. Three balls later, Pandya removed Johnson Charles for two to leave the West Indies 2-3. Kyle Mayers was trapped lbw by Singh for 15 and the West Indies were looking at a collapse at 32-3 in the fourth over.
Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell fought back against the Indian attack partnering for 57 from 37 balls when Powell was caught at deep third man for 21 to give Pandya his third wicket of the match. Pooran continued to plunder the bowling while Shimron Hetmyer, who has replaced Powell, got his eye in.
Together, they took the West Indies to within 27 runs of their target. However, as is often the case with the West Indies, the game was turned on its head when Pooran was dismissed by Mukesh Kumar, caught at cover-point for 67 that included six fours and four sixes.
His dismissal triggered a collapse in which the West Indies lost four wickets for three runs in 13 balls. It was Yuzvendra’s Chahal’s third over, the 16th of the innings where things went pear-shaped for the West Indies. Shepherd was run out for nought off the first ball, he then had Holder stumped off his fourth and Hetmyer trapped lbw for 22 on the final ball.
It was left to Akeal Hosein, who ended unbeaten on 16 and Alzarri Joseph at the other end on 10, to see the West Indies to a nail-biting victory.
Pandya took 3-37 and Chahal 2-19 were the main bowlers for India.
India and West Indies have been fined for maintaining a slow over-rate in the first T20 International in Trinidad and Tobago on August 3.
India was fined five per cent of their match fee for falling one over short of the minimum over rate, while West Indies have been fined 10 per cent of their match fee for falling two overs short of the minimum over rate.
Richie Richardson of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction after Hardik Pandya and Rovman Powell’s sides were ruled to be one and two overs short respectively of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration.
In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined five per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, subject to a cap of 50 per cent of the match fee.
Pandya and Powell pleaded guilty to the offences and accepted the proposed sanctions, so there was no need for a formal hearing.
On-field umpires Gregory Brathwaite and Patrick Gustard, third umpire Nigel Duguid and fourth umpire Leslie Reifer leveled the charges.
The West Indies secured a narrow four-run win over India at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Thursday to go 1-0 up in their five-match T20I series.
The hosts posted a subpar 149-6 from their 20 overs after winning the toss and batting first.
Captain Rovman Powell hit a 32-ball 48 to lead the West Indies while Nicholas Pooran, fresh off a brilliant 137* to lead MI New York to the Major League cricket title on Sunday, continued his good form with 41 off 34 balls.
Powell hit three fours and as many sixes while Pooran hit two fours and two maximums.
Brandon King had earlier hit 28 as Yuzvendra Chahal and Arshdeep Singh each took two wickets.
India’s chase didn’t start well losing openers Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan in the first powerplay with just 28 runs on the board.
A 39-run third wicket partnership between Suryakumar Yadav and debutant Tilak Varma provided some stability for the Indians before they fell in quick succession leaving India 77-4 after 11 overs.
Varma made a top score of 39 while Yadav made 21.
Hardik Pandya (19), Sanju Samson (12) and Axar Patel (13) were next to go.
India eventually found themselves 140-8 needing 10 to win off the last over with Kuldeep Yadav and Arshdeep Singh at the crease facing Romario Shepherd.
The first ball of the last over saw Shepherd bowl a brilliant Yorker to dismiss Yadav. India lost a second wicket in the over when Singh was run out by Shimron Hetmyer for 11 leaving India needing six runs of the last ball with one wicket in hand.
In the end, Shepherd’s last ball was hit for just a single by Mukesh Kumar meaning India ended up 145-9, securing the win and a 1-0 series lead for the hosts.
Jason Holder was excellent with the ball with 2-19 from his four overs while Shepherd and Obed McCoy also took a pair of wickets, each.
The second T20I will take place on Sunday at the Providence Stadium in Guyana.
India completed a 2-1 ODI series win over the West Indies with a mammoth 200-run win in the third ODI at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba on Tuesday.
India made 351-5 off their 50 overs, their highest ODI total in the West Indies, after being put in to bat by the hosts.
Openers Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill once again shared in a prolific opening partnership, this time putting on 143 for the first wicket.
Gill top-scored with 85 off 92 balls including 11 fours while Kishan made 77 off 64 balls, his third half-century in the series, hitting eight fours and three sixes in the process.
India also got half-centuries from Captain Hardik Pandya and Sanju Samson.
Pandya hit an unbeaten 52-ball 70 including four fours and five sixes while Samson made 51 off 41 balls including a pair of fours and four sixes. Suryakumar Yadav also contributed 35.
Romario Shepherd took 2-73 from his 10 overs for the Windies.
Then, similar to their batting effort in first ODI where they were dismissed for 114 batting first, early wickets meant the West Indian chase was over before it could really begin.
They lost their first six wickets for just 50 in 14 overs before, eventually, being bowled out for 151 in 35 overs.
Gudakesh Motie provided some late entertainment for the crowd with 39* off 34 balls including four fours and three sixes.
Alick Athanaze had earlier made 32 while Alzarri Joseph made 26.
Shardul Thakur led the way with the ball for India with 4-37 off 6.3 overs while Mukesh Kumar took 3-30 off seven overs and Kuldeep Yadav took 2-25 from eight overs.
The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Senior Men’s Selection Panel today announced the provisional squad for the five-match Kuhl Stylish Fans T20I Series powered by Black and White against India which starts on Thursday 3 August at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad.
All 15 members of the provisional squad will travel to all matches. There will then be a 13-member squad for each match from which the final XI will be selected.
Wicket-keeper/batsman Shai Hope, and fast bowler Oshane Thomas have earned recalls to this format. Thomas played his last match in this format in Pakistan in December 2021 while Hope played his last match in India in February 2022.
Lead Selector, The Most Hon. Dr Desmond Haynes said: “The squad is selected with the next ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in mind. We are looking at various plans as we try to find the right combinations. As we prepare; we are looking to build a unit which we believe can do the job when we host the global event in just under a year. We have some match-winners in our line-up and we will look to have the right kind of preparation, starting here in Trinidad on Thursday.”
Haynes added: “We also have other players who could come into consideration going forward, with the Caribbean Premier League starting next month, others will come into the reckoning.”
The Brian Lara Cricket Academy will host the opening match on Thursday. The teams then move to the Guyana National Stadium for the second and third fixtures on Sunday 6 August and Tuesday 8 August.
The series will climax with the blockbuster weekend at the Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill, Florida for the final matches on Saturday 12 August and Sunday 13 August. All matches start at 10:30am local time (9:30am Jamaica Time).
Tickets for the matches are available from box offices at Queen’s Park Oval, Port-of-Spain; the National Cricket Centre in Couva, Trinidad and the Guyana Cricket Board headquarters in Georgetown, Guyana. Additionally, tickets are available online in advance from the Windies Tickets service, presented by Mastercard at tickets.windiescricket.com .
Fans who purchase online will benefit from a 20% discount compared to the box office prices, with tickets ranging from the most premium seats with the best and shaded views in each stadium through to affordable standard seats or mounds/grounds entry.
Tickets are also available for the Tribe Party Stand in Trinidad with all-inclusive drinks and light food options. CWI has also announced that West Indies hospitality by the Red Stand will be on sale for the first time with tickets for the hospitality suites. This is a premium all-inclusive experience in air-conditioned suites, with outdoor viewing and fully inclusive premium food and drink options.
For the matches at the Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill, Florida there will be VVIP and VIP hospitality packages available providing patrons with a great experience.
FULL SQUAD
Rovman Powell (Captain)
Kyle Mayers (Vice Captain)
Johnson Charles
Roston Chase
Shimron Hetmyer
Jason Holder
Shai Hope
Akeal Hosein
Alzarri Joseph
Brandon King
Obed McCoy
Nicholas Pooran
Romario Shepherd
Odean Smith
Oshane Thomas
Match Schedule
Kuhl Stylish Fans T20I Series powered by Black and White
3 August: 1st T20I, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad
6 August: 2nd T20I, National Stadium, Guyana
8 August: 3rd T20I, National Stadium Guyana
12 August: 4th T20I, Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill, Florida
13 August: 5th T20I, Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill, Florida
The West Indies rebounded from an embarrassing defeat in the opening ODI against India on Thursday with a comfortable six-wicket win in the second ODI on Saturday at the Kensington Oval to tie the three-match series 1-1.
Despite things looking ominous with Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill putting on 90 for the first wicket, the hosts produced an excellent bowling display to restrict them to 181 all out in 40.5 overs after winning the toss and electing to field.
Kishan followed up his fifty in the first match with a run-a-ball 55 to top score while Shubman Gill (34) and Suryakumar Yadav (24) were the only other batsmen to make any meaningful contributions to the Indian total.
Romario Shepherd and Gudakesh Motie were the stars with the ball for the hosts. Shepherd took a career-best 3-37 off his eight overs while Motie bowled 9.5 overs for his 3-36. Alzarri Joseph chipped in with 2-35 off seven overs.
The Windies then needed just 36.4 overs to reach 182-4.
The successful chase was led by Captain, Shai Hope, who made an unbeaten 80-ball 63 including two fours and as many sixes. Keacy Carty provided good support for his skipper with 48* off 65 balls including four fours.
Shardul Thakur took 3-42 off eight overs for India.
The series decider is set for Tuesday at the Brian Lara Academy.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has paid tribute to Raphick Jumadeen, the former West Indies spin bowler who passed away in his homeland Trinidad on Tuesday. He was 75.
As a left-arm spinner, Jumadeen played 12 Test matches between 1972 and 1979 taking 29 wickets. His best figures of 4-72 came against Australia at Sabina Park, Jamaica in 1978.
He was also one of the leading bowlers for Trinidad and Tobago and played 99 first-class matches in which he took 347 wickets at an average of 27.9.
Following retirement from the game, Jumadeen was a coach and selector in Trinidad and was a member of the West Indies senior men’s selection panel.
“Raphick Jumadeen was an outstanding servant of the game and gave his all on and off the field. He was a stand-out performer for Trinidad and Tobago in the Shell Shield and was one of the most successful wicket-takers at the regional level,” CWI President Dr Kishore Shallow said in tribute to the fallen former West Indies bowler.
“He returned to serve West Indies cricket as a senior selector. Raphick made an invaluable contribution to the game as a coach in his country, where he played a hand in the development of many young players. He has left behind a legacy of service, commitment, and giving back to the game he loved. CWI extends our condolences to his wife and other family members, loved ones, and the cricket family in Trinidad and Tobago.”
The West Indies team paid respect to Jumadeen by wearing black armbands during the first match of the CG United ODI Series powered by YES BANK against India at Kensington Oval on Thursday.
Kuldeep Yadav took four wickets and Ishan Kishan scored 50 as India condemned West Indies to a five-wicket defeat in the first ODI played at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Thursday.
After skittling the West Indies out for 114 in just 23 overs, India scored 118-5 from 22.5 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Yadav returned the incredible figures of 4-6 in three overs as the West Indies lost their last seven wickets for 26 runs. Yadav claimed the last four wickets to fall including that of Captain Shai Hope who made 43, the only score of note as Alick Athanze (22) and Brandon King (17) both got starts but failed to carry on.
Ravindra Jadeja, who bowled Shimron Hetmyer for 11, also contributed to the rout taking 3-37 in his six overs.
Chasing a modest total, India lost the wickets of Shubman Gill for seven when he edged a Jaydon Seales delivery to King at slip and Suryakumar Yadav, who was trapped lbw by Gudakesh Motie for 19.
India would lose three more wickets as Hardik Pandya was run out for five, Motie dismissed Kishan for 52 and Yannic Cariah dismissed Shardul Thakur for one. However, Jadeja (16) and Rohit Sharma (12) remained unbeaten as the tourists eased the target inside the 23rd over.
Motie was the best of the West Indies bowlers with 2-26 while Cariah and Seales shared two wickets between them.
Persistent rain wiped out the entire final day's play in Port-of-Spain, denying India a chance to sweep the Test series 2-0. The game was called off at 2.50pm local time.
The day had started with showers and the teams didn't even arrive at Queen's Park Oval until after lunch. The rain relented briefly before returning once again in the afternoon to force an end to the game.
India won the series 1-0, having brushed West Indies aside in three days in the first Test in Dominica.
West Indies will not be in action in Test cricket until their trip to Australia in January 2024.
Scores: India 438 (Kohli 121, Rohit 80, Warrican 3-89) and 181 for 2 dec (Rohit 57, Kishan 52*) drew with West Indies 255 (Brathwaite 75, Siraj 5-60) and 76 for 2 (Ashwin 2-33)
The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Senior Men’s Selection Panel today announced the squad for the three match CG United One Day International (ODI) Series powered by YES BANK against India which starts on Thursday 27 July at Kensington Oval.
The 15-member squad was named following a four-day camp at Kensington Oval held to prepare the white-ball players for the upcoming CG United ODI Series, as well as the five-match T20I Series that follows. The selectors have recalled left-handed batsman Shimron Hetmyer and fast bowler Oshane Thomas. Fast bowler Jayden Seales and leg-spinner Yannic Cariah have been included following their rehabilitation from surgery while left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie is also included, having recovered from injury.
Lead Selector, The Most Hon. Dr Desmond Haynes said: “We welcome Oshane and Shimron back into the group. Both have played at the international level before, with some success, and we believe they will fit well into the set-up. Oshane brings pace and is a potential wicket-taker with the new ball. Shimron’s style of batting will offer a lot especially in the middle stage of the innings and he is also a potential ‘finisher’.”
Keemo Paul is out injured while Jason Holder and Nicholas Pooran were unavailable for selection.
Kensington Oval hosts the first two matches in the three-match CG United ODI Series on Thursday 27 July and Saturday 29 July. The teams then move to Trinidad for the third and final CG United ODI at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Tuesday 1 August. All three matches start at 9:30am local time (8:30am Jamaica time).
Tickets for the matches are available from box offices at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, as well as Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, and the National Cricket Centre in Couva, Trinidad from Monday 24 July. Additionally, tickets are available online in advance from the Windies Tickets service, presented by Mastercard, at tickets.windiescricket.com .
Fans who purchase online will benefit from a 20% discount compared to the box office prices, with tickets ranging from the most premium seats with the best and shaded views in each stadium through to affordable standard seats or mounds/grounds entry.
FULL SQUAD
Shai Hope (Captain)
Rovman Powell (Vice Captain)
Alick Athanaze
Yannic Cariah
Keacy Carty
Dominic Drakes
Shimron Hetmyer
Alzarri Joseph
Brandon King
Kyle Mayers
Gudakesh Motie
Jayden Seales
Romario Shepherd
Kevin Sinclair
Oshane Thomas
West Indies v India Tour Match Schedule
CG United ODI Series powered by YES BANK
27 July: 1st CG United ODI, Kensington Oval, Barbados
29 July: 2nd CG United ODI, Kensington Oval, Barbados
1 August: 3rd CG United ODI, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad
T20 Internationals
3 August: 1st T20I, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad
6 August: 2nd T20I, Guyana National Stadium, Guyana
8 August: 3rd T20I, Guyana National Stadium, Guyana
12 August: 4th T20I, Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill, Florida
13 August: 5th T20I, Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill, Florida
The West Indies have their backs against the wall heading into the final day of the second Test match against India at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad. At stumps on Sunday, the Caribbean men were 76-2, still needing 289 runs to achieve an unlikely victory in the milestone 100th Test match between the two countries.
When play resumes on Monday, Tagenarine Chanderpaul will carry on from 24 and Jermaine Blackwood 20. They and their fellow batters will have to produce something extraordinary of the West Indies are to avoid being swept 2-0 in the series that has so far been a lop-sided affair.
On Sunday, the West Indies resumed from their overnight score of 229-5 with Alick Athanaze on 37 and Jason Holder on 11. Athanaze did not add to his overnight score, trapped lbw by Munesh Kumar. Holder added four when Mohammed Siraj had him caught behind for 15.
There was little resistance after that as Siraj tore through the lower order to end with figures of 5-60. Kumar took 2-48 while Ravindra Jadeja had 2-37 as the West Indies folded for 255.
With a commanding lead of 183 runs, India propelled by half-centuries from Rohit Sharma, who made 57 and Ishan Kishan 52 not out, raced to 181-2 declared in just 24 overs.
Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal added 38 and Shubman Gill was unbeaten on 29 when the declaration came.
Jomel Warrican, who dismissed Jaiswal, took 1-36 while Shannon Gabriel took the wicket of Sharma to end with 1-33.
Chasing an unlikely target of 365, the West Indies were in trouble early as Ravichandran Ashwin, who has terrorized the West Indies batters during the series dismissed Brathwaite for 28 and Kirk McKenzie for a duck.
Chanderpaul and Blackwood have so far added 32 for the third wicket and will need to add much more on Monday, if the West Indies are to have any chance of surviving the final two days without crumbling to yet another humiliating defeat.
Captain Kraigg Brathwaite hit his 29th Test half-century as the West Indies ended the third day of the second Test against India on 229-5 after 108 overs, trailing by 209 runs at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain.
The West Indies began the day 86-1 and Brathwaite and his overnight partner, debutant Kirk McKenzie, added a further 31 runs before McKenzie became the first man to fall on day three for a well-made 32 off 57 balls.
Vice-captain, Jermaine Blackwood, then joined the skipper out in the middle and the pair added a further 40 runs to the total before Brathwaite was brilliantly bowled by Ravichandran Ashwin for a top-score of 75 from 235 balls including five fours and a six.
Just after tea, Blackwood became Ravindra Jadeja’s second victim of the innings when he was caught brilliantly by Ajinkya Rahane at first slip for 20 with the score on 178.
Joshua Da Silva was next to go when his middle stump was uprooted by Mohammed Siraj for 10.
Alick Athanaze (37), and Jason Holder (11) were the batsmen at the crease at stumps.
Scores: India 438 off 128 overs (Virat Kohli 121, Rohit Sharma 80, Ravindra Jadeja 61, Yashasvi Jaiswal 57, Ravichandran Ashwin 56, Jomel Warrican 3-89, Kemar Roach 3-104, Jason Holder 2-57) West Indies 229-5 off 108 overs (Kraigg Brathwaite 75, Alick Athanaze 37*, Tagenarine Chanderpaul 33, Kirk McKenzie 32, Ravindra Jadeja 2-37)
Captain Kraigg Brathwaite and fellow opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul placed West Indies on a steady foundation, but they are still left with much to do, after Virat Kohli registered a 29th Test century to put India in full command at the end of day two action at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad and Tobago on Friday.
Brathwaite ended the day unbeaten on 37, with the Caribbean side at 86-1 in their first innings, still 352 runs behind the visitors, after losing Chanderpaul for 33 shortly before close in this, the 100th Test between the two teams. India lead the two-test series 1-0.
India resumed from their overnight score of 288-4 and though West Indies bowled with some amount of purpose, they couldn’t stop the opponents from posting a daunting 438 all out, just prior to the tea interval.
Kohli scored 121, his first hundred away from home in five years, while Ravendra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, both added half-centuries to what is massive total, give the feeble nature of West Indies batting.
Left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican snared two of the last four wickets to end with 3-89 from 39 overs. He had support from veteran pacer Kemar Roach, who had 3-104 from 22 overs, and Jason Holder, who had 2-57 from 21 overs, as West Indies took the last four Indian wickets for a mere 43 runs.
West Indies started their reply in a solid manner, as Chanderpaul and Brathwaite withstood early pressure from India’s seamers, and later capitalised on the hard, easy-paced surface.
The openers hardly played a stroke wrong and had the bowling at their mercy until Jadeja, bowling his left-arm spin, had Chanderpaul caught at backward point, from an ill-advised lofted drive.
It brought Jamaican debutant Kirk McKenzie to the middle and the young left-handed batsman displayed confidence throughout his half-hour knock which included a lofted drive over long-off for six off Ashwin’s off-spin. He will resume on 14 alongside his captain on Saturday’s third day in which they will be targeting at least 239 to avoid being asked to follow-on.
Earlier, Kohli raised a well-deserved century, partnering with Jadeja in a 159-run fifth wicket stand that pushed India past the 350-run mark.
Kohli’s 76th milestone knock came from 180 balls and included 11 boundaries.
Jadeja reached his 50 from 105 balls, before West Indies grabbed a breakthrough when Kohli was run out by Alzarri Joseph.
Further success came for the hosts five overs later when Roach got Jadeja caught behind for 61 after reviewing a negative verdict from South African umpire Marais Erasmus.
West Indies maintained steady bowling in tough conditions after the visitors continued from their lunchtime total of 373 for six, and it paid dividends, though Ashwin defied them to carve out 56.
Holder had Ishan Kishan caught behind for 25, and after being frustrated by Jaydev Unadkat and Ashwin, they eventually made inroads when Warrican had the former stumped.
The spinner then accounted for Mohammed Siraj for a duck, before Roach brought the innings to a close when he had the last laugh in against Ashwin, who smashed three boundaries off in the same over in is 75-ball 50.
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal all scored half-centuries as India reached 288-4 at stumps on day one of the second Test against the West Indies on Thursday.
The hosts won the toss and decided to bowl first at the Queen’s Park Oval.
Based on proceedings on day one, that seemed like the wrong choice as India started the day with a 139-run opening partnership between first Test centurions Jaiswal and Sharma.
Jaiswal, who hit a magnificent 171 on debut in Dominica, made a 74-ball 57 while Sharma, India’s Captain who hit 103 in the last Test, fell for 80 off 143 balls with the score on 155 in the 39th over.
Jaiswal’s knock included nine fours and a six while Sharma hit nine fours and two sixes.
Shubman Gill (10) and Ajinkya Rahane (8) were the other Indian batsmen to fall before the end of play.
Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja will be at the crease when play continues tomorrow.
Kohli, who hit 76 in the first Test, will resume on 87* searching for his 29th Test hundred while Jadeja will resume on 36*. Kohli has, so far, faced 161 balls and hit eight fours.
Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel, Jomel Warrican and Jason Holder have each taken a wicket for the West Indies.
Former India opening batsman Aakash Chopra has called for West Indies to be stripped of their Test-playing status. He believes that the team has been doing nothing in international cricket for a few years now and that they should be replaced by associate member teams from individual islands.
“They won’t be playing in the World Cup. In all three formats, they are lagging behind in the rankings. Eventually, there has to be a threshold,” Chopra argued during a question and answer session with Sportsekeeda.
“I have been talking about that tier system - promotion and relegation. Just because they are an erstwhile champion side, till when can you carry on with them as a Test-playing nation? The team, as such, is doing nothing.”
Chopra says that West Indies' lack of unity and coordination has been a major factor in their downfall, and that many top players prefer franchise cricket over representing West Indies.
“Their case is unique because they have separate islands. Their pitches are so slow. You saw it in Dominica and you will see it at Port of Spain as well. It’s not a bad idea. May be the island teams might play with more pride. All said and done, West Indies’ state of cricket is quite bad.
“The five fingers are split and everyone is thinking about themselves - be it Jamaica, Barbados, Antigua or Guyana. There is hardly any coordination. During their prime, Clive Lloyd kept them together. This team needs leadership, because it’s a scattered side. Every island nation has them own anthem. As it is, things were difficult and then players became T20 journeymen. The pride in playing for West Indies has reduced.”
Chopra's comments come at a time when West Indies are struggling both on and off the field. The team was recently hammered by India in the first Test in Dominica, and they are currently ranked ninth in the Test rankings. Chopra believes that the team needs to be shaken up, and that stripping them of their Test-playing status would be a wake-up call.
Chopra played 10 Tests for India between October 2003 and October 2004 scoring 437 runs at an average of 23.
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