Let me begin my discourse by saying a resounding congratulation to Nicholas Pooran and his fellow West Indies players for their T20 Series win over the visiting Australians But, despite flashes of brilliance from some West Indians I have observed some troubling signs during the series.
The Aussies came to these shores with a depleted squad minus some of their regular top T20 players. I am sure head coach Justin Langer and his technical staff will use the opportunity to assess the strength and weaknesses of their Caribbean counterparts.
It must not lure the West Indies into a false sense of complacency, believing power-hitting is the only and match-winning aspect of their game. The Caribbean team has shown the likes of Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, DJ Bravo and Andre Russell can be very destructive and can take apart any bowling attack on any given day. West Indies must temper power-hitting with regular cricket shots with some innovations – quick singles, and sensible reading of the game at every stage of the encounter.
One glaring example where the West Indies dropped the ball or should I say Russell was in the 4th T20 fixture against Australia where the Caribbean team was chasing 190 for victory needing eleven in the final over with Russell and Akiel Hosein at the wicket. Russell on strike turned down singles in the 2nd, and 3rd deliveries hitting a six on the final Ball as his team fell short by five runs. Had the powerfully built Russell given Hosein the strike on the 3rd ball, he { Russell} would have faced the 4th, 5th, and 6th with nine runs needed.
What a missed opportunity for the men in maroon to take a 4-nil lead in the five-match series. Another important aspect West Indies head coach Phil Simmons must pay particular attention to is how his batsmen negotiate spin bowling. South Africa‘s Tabraiz Shamsi exposed this weakness as the Proteas came from one game down to emerged winners of the T20 series by three matches to two.
Let us not fool ourselves that power-hitting will see us through but, our players must be able to adapt to various situations during a game. I wish Kieron Pollard and his men all success as they defend their ICC world T20 title come October in Oman and the UAE. Let us be singing and dancing again.
