Cricket West Indies (CWI) selectors offered a recall to 29-year-old allrounder Fabian Allen and rare opportunities to 25-year-old batsman Alick Athanaze and 22-year-old pacer Matthew Forde, as the West Indies 15-man T20 International squad was announced today to face South Africa. West Indies face the Proteas in three T20Is on …
Read More »Best: Six-hitting team? Rutherford and Kohli showed how to bat properly in T20
A cricket match, a wise old scribe has written, is played in the minds of the opposing captains. Even in today’s changed world of T20 cricket? Hmmm…. Let’s see… For a full century after Australia’s 45-run victory over England at Melbourne in the first-ever Test match in 1877, the statement …
Read More »Vaneisa: T20WC24 thrills, revived WI interests—but Big Three concerns linger
Both of the semi-final matches in this T20 World Cup were demolitions. The match between Afghanistan and South Africa was actually painful to watch. Even if you supported the SA team, from a sporting perspective, it is unpleasant to look at that kind of devastation—like schoolchildren being trounced by adults. …
Read More »Early Bird: Do Haynes and Sammy really think Charles is a better batsman than Hope?
Bobby did not know that Pakistan, New Zealand and Sri Lanka would fall at the first hurdle. But he knew that WI would not go beyond the Super Eight—“if they get that far”. He’s been saying it for weeks. And he knew Nicholas Pooran would not deliver when it mattered; …
Read More »T20WC24: WI eliminated; valiant Chase and Alzarri fail to rein in Proteas, after batsmen misfire
West Indies are out of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup. On a night interrupted by showers in Antigua, it was the self-titled Rainbow Nation that shone in the end as South Africa emerged with a three-wicket win—with five balls to spare. Allrounder Roston Chase starred with bat and ball …
Read More »Vaneisa: Why resurgent West Indies should still be mindful of USA Cricket’s rise
We lost the first 2024 ICC T20 World Cup Super Eight match against England in a clinical encounter that brought a harsh dose of reality. A match report here is not relevant. Suffice it to say that while the batters are more willing to take singles, there are still far …
Read More »T20WC24: WI live in Hope, as USA chastened in heavy loss by 9 wkts and 55 balls
Opener Shai Hope posted his best-ever T20I score of 82 not out at his hometown in Bridgetown last night, as the West Indies crushed the United States of America by nine wickets with 55 balls remaining—for their first Super Eight win of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup. The Maroon …
Read More »T20WC24: West Indies call-up Mayers to replace injured King
The West Indies cricket team will have the services of 31-year-old batting allrounder Kyle Mayers for the remainder of the ICC 2024 T20 World Cup, after he was approved to join the squad by the ICC Event Technical Committee. Mayers replaces 29-year-old opening batsman Brandon King, who was ruled out …
Read More »T20WC24: Pooran gets his Chris Gayle groove on—better fete for WI
Nicholas Pooran does not have the bluster of Chris Gayle, the Universe Boss. Or his belligerence. Nor can he really claim to have outbatted his fellow left-hander in any of cricket’s three formats. But in the T20I universe, he has now overhauled a couple of the former West Indies opener’s …
Read More »T20WC24: Salt for West Indies, as England win by eight wkts—King hurt
West Indies opened their Super Eight campaign with a defeat last night, as they lost by eight wickets to England in the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup action at the Daren Sammy Stadium in Gros Islet, Saint Lucia. The result means that West Indies’ next outing against co-hosts, United States, …
Read More »T20WC24: Pooran blazes Afghanistan, Charles, McCoy shine; as WI tally eighth straight win
Dashing West Indies batsman Nicholas Pooran produced the highest score of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup so far as the hosts whipped Afghanistan by 104 runs to finish the group stage undefeated. Afghanistan still boast the highest run scorer of the current World Cup (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 167, average: 41.75) …
Read More »Early Bird: Pooran’s persistent profligacy, Rutherford’s diplomacy and WI’s long rope
Wednesday 12 June, 8.44pm. We are halfway through the disastrous West Indies powerplay. Johnson Charles, inexplicably preferred to Shai Hope as opener, has promptly—entirely predictably—perished. Nicholas Pooran has come in. And departed, not uncharacteristically bidding to smash his 12th ball for six and getting only a top edge. “THEY NOT …
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