The World T20: A West Indian Double? Probably Not…

 

The World T20

A West Indian Double? Probably Not…

 

April 2^nd  2016

 

Given that at one point it was not even certain who would turn up in the name of the West Indies given the long-running and acrimonious dispute between the players and the dysfunctional Board. With the precipitous decline of cricket in the Caribbean, it is nothing short of miraculous that the West Indies have reached both finals. Not just that, but they have done it in magnificent fashion.

The womens’ game is dominated by the Big Three – Australia, New Zealand and England – yet the West Indies have gatecrashed the party big time: they almost toppled England in the group stage and beat the unbeaten New Zealand in the Semi-Final. Their side looks good enough to give the almost unbeatable Australians – Champions in four of the last five editions of the tournament – a real run for their money. You have to believe that the Southern Stars will be too good for the ladies of the Caribbean, but you know that 90% of the neutrals will be willing the West Indies over the line, in what would be the greatest shock in world cricket since Sri Lanka exploded onto the scene by winning the World Cup in 1996.

In contrast, the mens’ team probably start favourites. Test cricket may not inflame passions and encourage mass participation any longer in the Caribbean, but T20 does. It embodies the spirit of Calypso cricket that the West Indies made their own, with outrageous batting feats, over three decades. The West Indians do not frighten anyone any longer when they wear white, but put them in maroon pyjamas and they rule the night. Players who are mediocre from 11am to 6pm, suddenly become supermen under floodlights: batsmen show amazing powers, bowlers become untouchable.

There is no question that the three outstanding teams of the tournament have been New Zealand, West Indies and England. However, New Zealand were de-railed when their attempt to use Plan A for a fifth consecutive match failed because it came up against a side that was much more comfortable with this plan than with anything else and there was no Plan B in the locker. While England had managed to win, somehow, with a Plan B (most notably against Sri Lanka), the game against South Africa showed that their preferred plan was to ask a side to set a target and say “you set any score that you want and we will chase it down”. England’s chase was so comfortable that you have to think that New Zealand would have struggled to defend even 200 or 210.

However, the West Indies come into the Final in a similar situation to New Zealand in the Semi-Final: the have chased in every single match so far. Success has been based on restricting the opposition and then chasing: in three of their five matches the opposition has set 122 (Sri Lanka and South Africa) or 123 (Afghanistan). England’s 182-6 was chased down with some comfort and India’s 192-2, slightly less so, although the result was not in doubt in the last couple of overs. Will the West Indies be able to adapt if it is the opposition who are chasing? Is there a West Indian Plan B?

The World T20 has been won on four out of five occasions by the team winning the Toss. On this occasion, with both sides preferring to chase and with the likelihood that dew will make bowling at the death difficult, it is hard to avoid believing that whoever wins the Toss will win the match. With the sides well-matched, the advantage of winning the Toss could covert what should be an exciting and even contest into a one-sided disappointment.

If you are an England fan you look at the amazing parallels with 2010 and wonder if history will repeat itself, with a faltering start and defeat to West Indies in the first match to a run of five straight victories and England’s only world title. To complete the fairy-tale, Eoin Morgan’s key contribution will have to be the one half an hour before a ball is bowled. If England have to defend a target, the only possible chance will be to set 200+ and pray.