‘Shocking’ display

The West Indies players are now preparing to return home after the team was eliminated from the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia yesterday.

The Nicholas Pooran-led side went down by nine wickets to Ireland to leave the regional team bottom of Group B in the qualifying round. Ireland who finished second in the four-team group, joined Zimbabwe as the other team to make it into the main draw of the competition.

Scores: West Indies 146 for five off 20 overs (Brandon King 62 not out, Johnson Charles 24; Gareth Delaney 3-16).Ireland 150 for one off 17.3 overs (Paul Stirling 66 not out, Lorcan Tucker 45 not out, Andy Balbirnie 37).

Many Caribbean cricket fans woke up yesterday to the devastating news that their beloved team failed to come out of a group that included minnows Scotland, Ireland and Zimbabwe, and West Indies fast bowling legend Sir Curtly Ambrose was among those who expressed shock at the early exit.

“Shockingly disappointing are the two words I would use to describe the team’s exit. No disrespect to the other teams, but I expected West Indies to get out of that group and qualify for the Super 12 phase of the T20 World Cup,” said Ambrose.

Pundits will point the finger at team selection, tactics and team strategy for the team’s failed bid, but it is clear that the two-time champions are nowhere near their title-winning exploits of 2012 and 2016.

The regression is evident, and former West Indies fast bowler Franklyn Rose lamented the lack of fight in the current players as they continue to embarrass the region at the international level.

“It is a disgrace and an embarrassment for the West Indies to be kicked out of the World Cup by two non-recognised teams. Back in my day when we are playing those teams, we couldn’t wait to rip them apart and build on our confidence,” said Rose.

Rose remembered vividly when the West Indies lost to Kenya at the ICC 50-over World Cup in 2006. That loss sent a signal to the Richie Richardson-led team who went all the way to the semi-final following that defeat.

“That defeat was a wake-up call for the West Indies and we didn’t lose another game until the semi-finals when Australia beat us. That is the culture of West Indies that I know, we fight to the very end even in adversity,” added Rose.

While the coaching staff and players have taken the brunt of the flack, regional cricket commentator Barry Wilkinson said the administration can’t be left out, as it also needs overhauling at the top level.

“It is clear to me that we have to look at a new strategy and that we have to seek a new vision for our game that is bleeding badly and losing fans by the second. It is my belief that Cricket West Indies (CWI) President Ricky Skerritt and his team should not resign just for the sake of showing accountability, but because they have failed in their bid to take the game forward on the field.”

“We must now look beyond the boundary and clean up the boardroom because I believe that is where the core of the problem is,” added Wilkinson.

Skerritt, in a statement yesterday, said CWI will be conducting a “thorough post-mortem” following the team’s elimination.

“I am deeply disappointed with the performance results of our team in Australia and I appreciate the sense of utter frustration that is being experienced by many. The ongoing inability of our batsmen to prevail over opposing slow bowling continued to be an obvious weakness in Australia and untimely shot selections seem to be deeply embedded in the T20 batting culture of our senior team. However, I want to assure stakeholders that a thorough post-mortem will be carried out on all aspects of our World Cup preparation and performance, and that solutions will be found in keeping with CWI’s strategy to improve the quality and sustainability of cricket on all fronts, and in all formats,”Skerritt said.