*from the Jamaica Observer.
"West Indies would like to get hold of that trophy first." - Chris Gayle
"in Twenty20, you have to be attacking and flamboyant, and that's the way we like to play our cricket." - Ramnaresh Sarwan
With the opening match of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup just days away in South Africa, the West Indies' captain and vice captain have been talking up the team's chances. But should we really believe them? Didn't we hear this kind of talk before the 50 over World Cup this year in March, only to see the team flop when it mattered most at the Super 8s stage? Let's examine the possibility of a West Indies win.
The West Indies are drawn in Group A alongside hosts South Africa and upstarts Bangladesh. With the top two teams from each group progressing to the Super 8s, a win against South Africa is not absolutely necessary, but would give a tremendous confidence boost to the Windies. The South Africans, as hosts, would probably be considered second favourites behind the almighty Aussies, even though the Proteas recently beat the Aussies in a warm up match. With the powerful Greame Smith, Herschelle Gibbs and AB deVilliers at the top of their batting order, the South Africans will be tough to beat, especially when one considers the mauling that they gave the Windies in the ODI World Cup. And let's not forget the Bangladeshis, who cut down India in the same tournament. Should the Windies get past the first round, which they are certainly expected to do, they would then be placed in one of two groups and face three other teams in the second round with the top 2 teams in each group making the semi finals. If they win Group A (presumably by beating South Africa) they will most likely avoid Australia in the second round.
So then a lot may hinge on the match up against South Africa, but if the Windies are serious about winning the Twenty20 World Cup, then they would have to beat the Aussies at some time, not to mention the host of other teams that soundly defeated the West Indies in the ODI World Cup. Can they do it?
The talent is there, but a lot will depend on Chris Gayle firing in this tournament. He went AWOL in the 50 over World Cup and the Windies missed him desperately. With Gayle, Sarwan, Chanderpaul and Samuels the Windies have a top heavy batting line up. If the runs don't come from these four it's hard to see where they would consistently come from in this form of the game. In the bowling department, a rejuvenated Fidel Edwards and Daren Powell, who had the unworldly figures of taking 3 wickets for 4 runs off 4 overs in a warm up match against New Zealand, will lead the bowling and they will be ably assisted by Ravi Rampaul, Dwayne Bravo with Samuels' and Gayle's spin in support.
Can this team go all the way? I have my doubts. A big win or two is very possible and I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Windies trounced South Africa, but it is difficult seeing this Windies team, based on past experiences, putting together 5, 6 or 7 solid games in a row to take the championship. That said, if the Windies get out of the second round and into the semi finals then watch out.
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