(West Indies Cricket)
Former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik shared his thoughts on the West Indies’ prospects in the T20 World Cup 2024, expressing his disappointment if the Rovman Powell-led team failed to reach the semi-finals.
The West Indies cricket team emerges as one of the formidable contenders for the ongoing tournament, displaying strength under Powell’s leadership in recent months. Ahead of the event, they showcased impressive performances, securing victories against India and England in T20I series. Their formidable lineup suggests they are a dominant force in the current T20 World Cup.
Bolstered by prominent players, West Indies possesses the potential to clinch another T20 World Cup title if they deliver according to their capabilities, solidifying their position in cricket history.
Dinesh Karthik further voiced his confidence in the West Indies’ abilities for the T20 World Cup 2024, emphasizing their proficiency, particularly on home turf. He emphasized their adaptability, stating they remain a formidable force even on slower pitches. Speaking to Cricbuzz, he elaborated:
“They have been the best team between over 16 and 20 across the cycle, very, very powerful team. The one thing that T20 cricket runs on right now when it comes to batting is power. The reason why KKR won, you know, is just power through the innings up until 8, 9 and that’s pretty much what West Indies have now.
“And as those stats say, they’ve been very dominating at home, beat England in a very close five-match series and they played some solid cricket. For me, I’d be very disappointed if they didn’t make it to the semi-final. I think they are a team that should get there.
“They have a solid team, most bases covered, the only thing their bowling is little light, especially fast bowling. If they play on good pitches, they will be found out. But if they play on pitches, which is either slow or ones that turn, West Indies have a very good chance.”
Dinesh Karthik says When they bat second, they are unbelievably good.
Dinesh Karthik also delved into the conditions in the West Indies, highlighting the significance of wind that teams need to factor in. He discussed the difficulties associated with playing in windy conditions and emphasized that the hosts would likely prefer to chase in many matches due to their strong batting performances in the second innings. He elaborated:
“Unlike other parts of the world, the biggest challenge in playing in West Indies is the wind. You got to take the wind into consideration a lot when you play a shot, which side of the ground you want to hit. As a bowler, you try in India, a lot of times in IPL, you try when they play on the side pitches, one side of the boundary is lesser.
“In this, in West Indies, it definitely becomes the wind. So you don’t try and hit into the wind. As a bowler, you make them hit into the wind. So those are the biggest challenges. The pitches are not as consistent as you play in other parts of the world. It’s slightly slow.
“It might be sticky. You got to understand infrastructure is not their strength in the Caribbean. So I just hope for this World Cup, it’s much better. But consistently over a period of time, they have not been the best. And West Indies will pray to win as many tosses as possible because when they bat second, they are unbelievably good.”
The West Indies launched their ICC T20 World Cup 2024 campaign with a strong start, securing a victory over Papua New Guinea by 5 wickets to notch their first win in the tournament.
