World T20 2016: SWOT Analysis of the West Indies team

West Indies’ bowling coach and legendary fast bowler Curtly Ambrose recently said that his side has some of the world’s most destructive Twenty20 cricketers who can combine to clinch the upcoming World T20 in India. The T20 powerhouse team laid their hands on the trophy for the first time in 2012. Backed by power-hitters and super athletic fielders, the Caribbean kings defeated Sri Lanka in the final to finish on top. Here’s a SWOT analysis of the mercurial yet entertaining side.

Strengths:

Batting:

Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo and Darren Sammy are some of the biggest hitters in world cricket. No target is big enough for this powerful batting lineup as it has proved time and again. In January 2015, West Indies thump South Africa in their own lair by gunning down a staggering 232-run target with as many as four balls to spare. The brute strength and the ball-striking ability of the West Indian batters is incredible and they love expressing themselves. The West Indian players are loved by Indian crowds for their Box Office appeal and will back them to go all the way. The likes of Denesh Ramdin, Jason Holder and Andre Fletcher have also proved that they can hit the long ball and clear any boundary.

New Comers:

The likes of Sunil Narine, Darren Bravo and Kieron Pollard have withdrawn themselves from the squad. Pollard pulled out “citing a lack of sufficient progress in his rehabilitative work” while Narine is currently banned from bowling. Bravo wants to focus on Test cricket hence chose to stay away from the marquee event and instead play the longer format in the domestic competition. These world class players will be missed by the team however the replacements announced by the West Indian Cricket Board are no slouch either.

All-rounder Carlos Brathwaite, who impressed in Australia and got a huge IPL deal with the Delhi Daredevils, has replaced Pollard. Brathwaite is a massive striker of the ball and also bowls at a good clip. Johnson Charles, a top-order batsman who can also keep wickets, has replaced Bravo. Charles was a member of the team which won the World T20 in 2012 and is a fine striker of the ball.

Off-spinner Ashley Nurse has replaced Narine in a like-for-like replacement. In 60 T20 matches, Nurse has 55 wickets bowling at an impressive economy rate of 6.62. He is no mug with the bat either and has 262 runs at a strike rate of 114.91. In a recent warm-up T20 match against Zimbabwe in Sharjah, Charles smashed 92 not out off just 48 balls and Fletcher made 56 not out off 35 balls while Brathwaite took 3/23. Such is the bench strength of the Windies.

Weaknesses:

Bowling:

Bowling is a weak link for the Windies. The likes of Jerome Taylor, Jason Holder, Andre Russell and Darren Sammy can all prove expensive at times. The absence of Sunil Narine is a major blow in this department. Brathwaite’s 2 innings have accounted for 67 runs however his recent form inspires hopes. Dwayne Bravo will need to shoulder the responsibility being the senior bowler. The team though has world-class spinners in Samuel Badree and Sulieman Benn who should enjoy bowling in India. The former is renowned as a T20 specialist and has played in the IPL. The onus will be on skipper Sammy to encourage his bowlers to keep it tight and not leak runs. If the Windies can bowl well in the competition, they will be tough to beat as their batting is arguably the best in the competition.

External Factors:

The player vs board is a long and endless saga in West Indian cricket. The preparation of the team was marred by payment issues with the WICB. The prospect of a full-strength West Indies squad boycotting the World T20 due to a contracts impasse has also appeared likely. Thankfully better sense prevailed and such a situation was avoided. The issues though still remain and the players will need to stay focused on the task at hand if they are to lift the trophy.

Opportunities:   

A point to prove:

The West Indian players over the years have not been treated well by their cricket board. Even former West Indies skipper and legendary batsman Sir Vivian Richards supported the Caribbean players who were locked in pay cut dispute with the country’s board. WICB had asked the players to agree to the financial terms if they want to represent the country in the upcoming World T20. The board added that if the players declined to accept the contract, it would have no other option but to substitute the player with another.

Suggesting a solution for the issue, the Richards had insisted that the players should be provided with the contract much more in advance rather than asking them to sign it immediately. Even the likes of Brian Lara have lambasted the board for its high-handedness. The players have a great opportunity to prove their worth and this dispute should encourage them to do well.

Chance for Young and Old:

The experienced players like Gayle, Samuels, Bravo, Sammy, Simmons and Russell will want to stamp their class and entertain their fans, while the young players Brathwaite, Charles, Nurse, Fletcher and Holder will want to make the most of every given opportunity. There is a good balance between youth and experience in the squads. The team has a chance to prove that they are world beaters in the format. Cricket needs a strong West Indian side in all formats and a successful World T20 campaign could be the start of something special.

Threats:

Complacency:

The team will hope that their free-flowing style of play doesn’t result in complacency. West Indies are one of the firm favourites to lift the cup, however, will need to work hard to earn success since the nature of T20 cricket suggests that any team can win on a given day. The team will have to make sure that it doesn’t get overconfident about its strengths. The youngsters will also need to keep their emotions in check, focus on the task at hand and ensure that they do not implode under pressure. It will be the responsibility of the senior guys to ensure that this doesn’t happen.

A tough group:

West Indies are in Group 1 of the Super 10 stage, along with England, South Africa, Sri Lanka and a qualifying team from the first round of the tournament. With only two teams from the group progressing to the next stage which is the semi-finals, each and every match is important. England and South Africa have some exceptional T20 players who could hurt the Windies. The Sri Lanka side may be struggling at the moment, however, knows how to get its act together in ICC events. The fact that the Lankans are the defending champions the Caribbean side will need to be on the money from their first game against the English and show the tenacity to perform under pressure.

Squad: Darren Sammy (C), Samuel Badree, Sulieman Benn, Carlos Brathwaite, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Ashley Nurse, Denesh Ramdin, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Evin Lewis, and Jerome Taylor

How good is the South African team? – World T20 2016: SWOT Analysis of the South African team