The West Indies team’s disastrous performance at the recently concluded ICC 2021 T20 World Cup of four losses and just one win from its five matches played resulted in its failure to progress beyond the tournament’s Preliminary Super6 Round. More importantly, the West Indies finished well outside the Competition’s top 8 teams and as result will now have to be part of a Qualification Tournament to secure its participation for the 2022 T20 World Cup to be played
in Australia next October.
Following the deterioration of the West Indies’ T20 status from two-times former champions to now cellar-dwellers it might be informative if now educational for us to provide our Report Card ratings on the performances of the respective players and coaches. Our Report Card rating criteria is on a sliding scale of 1-10 with 1 as poor and 10 as excellent.
Batting!
Evan Lewis
M5 I5 Runs 105. HS 56 Ave. 31.75 SR 127.
Scores: 29, 8, 6, 56, 6
Comment: Failed to reach double
figures on three out of five occasions.
Unable to provide required solid starts
at the top of the innings. One of only
two half centurions among all West
Indies’ batsman. GRADE – 5.
Lendyl Simmons
M2 I2 Runs 19 HS 16 Ave, 9,50 SR 45.23
Scores 3, 16
Comment: His scores speak for
themselves. 35 ball 16 against South
Africa was embarrassingly torturous and
prohibitive to the West Indies’ innings’
momentum.
GRADE – 2.
Chris Gayle
M5 I5 Runs 45 HS 15 Ave,9
Scores; 13, 12, 4, 1, 15
Comment: Absolutely embarrassing
tournament performance by the Universe Boss.
Looked completely out of his depth as a virtual
wicket whose inevitable dismissal was only a
matter of time.
GRADE – 1.
Roston Chase
M3 I3 Runs 48 HS 39 Ave. 16 SR
85.71
Scores: 39, 9, 0.
Comment: One of the West Indies’
biggest batting disappointments.
Much was expected of him
following his outstanding 2021
CPL batting performances.
GRADE – 3
Shimron Hetmeyer
M5 I5 Runs 127 HS 81* Ave 31.75 SR 127.00
Scores: 9, 1, 9, 81*, 27
Comment: West Indies; highest run
scorer and best batsman overall. Showed
encouraging signs of maturity in both
of his final two tournament innings,
particularly his master class 81* against Sri
Lanka.
GRADE – 7
Nicholas Pooran
M5 I5 Runs 103 HS 46 Avg 20.60 SR
135.52
Scores: 1, 12, 40, 46, 4.
Comment: By far the West Indies’ most
aggressive batsman, as evidenced by
his outstanding strike rate. Threatened
at times to totally dominate the innings
only to falter.
GRADE – 6.
Kieron Pollard
M5 I5 Runs 90 Hs 44 Ave.22,50 SR 107.64
Scores: 6, 26, 14*, 0, 44,
Comment: Major disappointment overall.
Failed to lead from the front or to provide
the required stability of firepower. Played
his best innings in what could now be his
last innings in West Indies’ colours!
GRADE – 4
Andre Russell
M5 I5 Runs 25 HS 18* Ave, 6.25 SR 147.05
Scores: 0, 5, 0, 2, 18*
Comment: Superman Dre Russ was as far removed from
super as a garbage bin from a rose bush! His even less than
bingoesque scores were suggestive of those of a player who
has duly been figured out by opposition bowlers and is now
no longer quite the power hitter he used to be!
GRADE – 1
Jason Holder
M3 I3 Runs 24 Hs 15* Ave.24 SR 218.18
Scores: 15*, 8, 1*
Comments: Unbelievably omitted from
the initial 15 Member Playing Squad. Thrust
into the limelight as a replacement for the
injured Obed McCoy. Immediately proved
his worth with 15* not out that helped
secure the West Indies solitary tournament
win, against bottom-placed Bangladesh.
GRADE – 5
Dwayne Bravo
M5 I5 Runs 26 HS 10 Ave. 6.50 SR 92.85
Scores:5, 8*, 1, 2, 10
Comment: Failed utterly to contribute with the
bat even when promoted in the order and
given the opportunity to do so. Like Gayle
and Russell looked to be a batsman who was
playing one tournament too many!
GRADE – 1
NB: Akeal Hosein: M5 I3 Runs 7 Ave, 7 SR 50,00; Ravi Rampaul M4 I1 Runs 3 Ave
3,00 SR 37.50 and Haydn Walsh M2 I1 Runs 0 Ave 0 SR 0.00 were not graded as a
result of their inconsequential run aggregates.
ICC T20 World Cup West Indies’ Report Card:
Bowling!
Akheal Hosein
M5 I5 Overs 18.0 Mdns 0 Runs 126 Wkts 5 Ave.25,20 Econ 7.0
Returns: 2/24-4;1/27-4; 1/24-4; 1/22-2; 0/29-4
Comment: Easily the West Indies’ best bowler of the tournament. Brought into the Playing 15 from among the Reserves and as a
replacement for the injured Fabian Allen. Proved his worth by topping the West Indies bowling averages as the highest wicket-taker.
GRADE – 7
Andre Russell
M5 I4 Overs 13.2 Mdns 0 Runs 123 Wkts 3 Ave. 41.00
Econ 9.22
Returns: 0/36-3.2; 1/29-4; 2/33-4; 0/25-2
Comment: Only marginally more effective with the ball
as he was with bat in hand. His 3 wickets were captured
at a high average and expensive economy rate.
GRADE – 3
Ravi Rampaul
M4 I4 Overs 13.0 Mdns 0 Runs 98 Wkts 2 Ave 49.00 Econ 7.53
Returns: 1/14-2; 0/22-3; 1/25-4; 0/37-4.
Comment: West Indies biggest disappointment of the tournament, arguably
even more so than Chris Gayle. Failed utterly to deliver on the promise of his pretournament
performance as the CPL’s most outstanding performance that earned
him his selection. Showed his age and was an inescapable liability in the field.
GRADE – 2
Dwayne Bravo
M5 I4 Overs 16.0 Mdns 0 Runs 137 Wkts 2 .50 Econ 8.56
Returns: 0/23-4;1/36-4; 1/43-4; 0/36-4;
Comment: Another major disappointment for the
West Indies. Most expensive bowler in terms of runs
conceded. The pre-tournament IPL workload may have
caught up with him. Looked tired throughout!
GRADE – 2
Jason Holder
M3 I3 Overs 10 Mdns 0 Runs 85 Wkts 1 Ave 85.00 Econ 8.50
Returns: 1/22-4; 0/37-4; 0/26-2.
Comment: Initially relegated to the Reserves he was brought into the Playing 15
as a replacement for the injured Obed McCoy. Had an outstanding first outing
against Bangladesh but proved to be expensive in the remaining two
matches.
GRADE – 3
NOTE: Obed McCoy, Haydn Walsh, Roston Chase
and Kieron Pollard all of whom bowled less than five
overs during the entire tournament were not graded!
Coaching Staff:
Phil Simmons – Head Coach
Comment: Was part and parcel of the West Indies’ Selection Panel which
severely undermined the Team’s chances even before the Tournament had
started with its highly dubious choices! Actual match team performances
seemed totally devoid of any proper planning.
GRADE – 2.
Roddy Estwick – Bowling Coach.
As per usual was never short of words
in his customary willingness to interact
with the media. His bowling charges
failed to match his apparent love for the
being in the spotlight with sufficiently
disciplined match performances.
GRADE – 2
Monty Desai – Batting Coach ,
The West Indies’ woeful T20 World Cup batting
performances, undeniably the team’s worst-ever in all such
tournaments played to date, has presented irrefutable
evidence of Desai’s ineffectiveness as its Batting Coach.
Seemingly a very likeable personality, just not up to the job
of instilling the required levels of discipline still desperately
required among West Indies batsmen.
GRADE – 2.