Ever since George Francis took a one-day leave from his employers and ripped through England's batting unit in Georgetown in 1930 to clinch the Caribbean side's first-ever Test win, West Indies have been known for their Calypso brand of cricket - synonymous with flair and panache. However, over the last couple of decades, West Indies have been on a steady decline.
As the West Indies embarked on a journey to partake in the 12th World Cup held in England, there seemed to be a window of hope that the Caribbean side would revive their fortunes. The Caribbean side also hit the ground running on a perfect note by thumping Pakistan at Trent Bridge. Even though Oshane Thomas, Andre Russell, Sheldon Cottrell and Jason Holder aren't in the class of West Indies pace attacks of yore, the foursome bounced Pakistan out with short-pitched deliveries to rekindle memories from another time. Pakistan were shot out for a mere 105, with Russell, Holder and Thomas combining to pluck nine scalps between them.
To make it a great day, Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran played a string of eye-catching shots to provide the finishing touches. The way Pooran waltzed down the track and outrageously tonked Wahab Riaz across the line, gave a glimpse of the bravado on display. Unfortunately, as the tournament progressed, it turned out to be a false dawn and West Indies' campaign became more synonymous with near-misses and occasional bursts of individual brilliance. West Indies finished a lowly ninth on the points table.
What pulled them back?
West Indies' power-hitters, largely, struggled to adapt to the 50-over format. 50-over cricket requires a different tempo towards building an innings, where clever rotation of strike in the middle overs becomes a key factor.
West Indies' batsmen's lack of nous can be capsulised by their game against Australia. West Indies were on their way to sealing a morale-boosting win. At the end of the 38th over, the Caribbean side needed to score at just over six runs per over with both Holder and Russell at the crease. However, in the very next over, after collecting a boundary off Mitchell Starc, Russell attempted another slog and was dismissed. A few overs later, the duo of Holder and Carlos Brathwaite also perished while attempting to slog the Australian spearhead. The better approach could have been to play out the Australian mainstay and look to take on the lesser bowlers.
The gut-wrenching defeats against New Zealand and Sri Lanka again encapsulated the point of West Indies' inability to blend flair with more of a pragmatic approach.
What did they sorely miss? A fulcrum in the middle order
With so many power-hitters around, West Indies needed a calming influence in the middle order. Shai Hope, who was in terrific form going into the World Cup, was expected to fill that role. The young batsman put up a creditable show with 274 runs, but his below-par strike-rate of just over 70 resulted in West Indies struggling to keep the scorecard ticking in the middle overs. West Indies' pacers also could have bowled with better discipline.
Best Player - Nicholas Pooran
On February 23, 2014, the precociously talented Pooran put on a supreme exhibition of batsmanship in the Under-19 World Cup game versus Australia. At 70 for 8, West Indies U19 were in deep trouble before it started to rain fours from Pooran's masterful willow. The southpaw ended up with an impressive 143 and scored a staggering 69% of the runs accumulated by the West Indies. The straight six off Victoria's seamer Guy Walker that was followed by an audacious follow through was a warning sign for fast bowlers around the globe.
Unfortunately, it took longer than expected for Pooran to make the step up to international cricket. After the U19 World Cup, he spent most of his time playing in T20 leagues around the globe with a sprinkling of List A games. Eventually, he chose the big stage - the 2019 World Cup - to showcase his dollops of skill.
Pooran played promising hands of 40 versus Australia and 63 against England, but that one defining innings was missing from his cabinet. It soon arrived in the game versus Sri Lanka when he blazed his way to a 103-ball 118 and almost steered his side past the finishing line, only for West Indies to fall agonisingly short. One of the highlights of his innings was the way he farmed the strike with the all-rounder Fabian Allen. He ended the World Cup campaign as West Indies' top run-getter with 367 runs.
Disappointing player - Andre Russell
After scorching the IPL 2019 with his impactful performances, Russell was expected to shine brightly in the World Cup. After the first game versus Pakistan, where he bowled with pace and venom to take a couple of scalps, it felt as if the all-rounder could take the tournament by storm. However, he was laid low by a spate of injuries, including the persistent knee problem and midway through the tournament, he was ruled out. Chris Gayle, playing in his final World Cup, also failed to lit up the tournament and finished with 242 runs at a rather disappointing average of just over 30.
What's on the highlights reel?
Other than West Indies' superlative show versus Pakistan, the highlight of their campaign would be Brathwaite's stunning hundred in the crucial game against New Zealand at Old Trafford. In pursuit of 292, the Caribbean side was in all sorts of trouble at 164 for 7.
However, Brathwaite showcased his pyrotechnics and also stitched vital stands with Kemar Roach, Cottrell and Thomas to take West Indies ever closer to a nail-biting victory. Just that with West Indies nine down and six runs away from an epic win, Brathwaite smacked Jimmy Neesham towards long on where Boult grabbed an astonishing catch. The bittersweet symphony of sport more or less defined West Indies' journey. A case of so near, yet so far.
On a positive note, the trio of Hope-Hetmyer-Pooran would give West Indies hope that they can form the nucleus of a strong batting line-up in the future. Even though Jofra Archer has slipped away from the radar, West Indies have promising pacers like Oshane Thomas, Alzarri Joseph, Chemar Holder, Clinton Pestano, Keon Harding, Odean Smith and Co. in the mix. It comes down to whether West Indies' think tank can harness the young talent coming through the ranks. In addition to it, they need to find a balance between West Indies' players partaking in T20 leagues around the world and international cricket.
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