World Cup 2022 | Team West Indies | Complete Squad Analysis | SWOT
Written By: Ritwika Dhar, Jeet Vachharajani
Date: 04-03-2022
Picture Courtesy: Cricket Queens
BRIEF HISTORY
- In 1993, West Indies qualified for the first time in the World Cup
- West Indies’ best performance in the 50-over World Cup was in 2013 when they reached the finals against Australia in India
- The last time when New Zealand hosted the World Cup, West Indies didn’t participate
Previous World Cup Appearances: 1993, 1997, 2000, 2005, 2009, 2013, 2017
Best Finish: Finalists - 2013
CURRENT FORM
- West Indies finished at the 7th position in the ICC Championship 2017-2020
- They couldn’t qualify directly for the tournament and had to play the qualifiers. As the qualifiers got canceled due to Covid-19, they went through to the main round on the basis of the ICC rankings
- They played three bilateral series against South Africa and two against Pakistan (home and away). They lost against South Africa but won both the series against Pakistan.
SQUADS
STRENGTHS
Seniors are in phenomenal form: Senior players like captain Stafanie Taylor, Hayley Matthews, Deandra Dottin, & Anisa Mohammed were all in red-hot form in 2021. Where Anisa took 20 wickets in ODIs, all the other mentioned players have scored a century since then.
Reliable spin attack: West Indies is flooded with spinners, but none of these spinners are ordinary in nature. They had an issue not so long ago of having a very orthodox spin attack with no variety as they kept trying off-spinners one after the other. Now, they have Stafanie Taylor, Hayley Matthews, Anisa Mohammed, and Karishma Ramharack as the off-spinners. Mind you, Ramharack has varieties up her sleeve and bowls a lot different than any other off-spinners in this side. They also have recalled the experienced leg-spinner, Afy Fletcher, into their side and have the services of Qiana Joseph as their left-arm orthodox bowler. They are a bowling attack reliant on their spinners more than their players. This generally is the case with the subcontinental teams, but West Indies is an exception.
Dottin firing on all cylinders: Deandra Dottin was an absolute gun all-rounder in women's cricket. After sustaining an injury and undergoing surgeries, her role has been restricted to that of a batter. This limitation has required her to ramp up her performance as a batter and she hasn't disappointed. She is opening the innings and has put up a stellar show ever since. She averages a scary 49.8 as an opener in 13 innings with an above-par SR of 86. In these 13 innings, she has registered 2 half-centuries and 2 centuries. More than anything, it's the impact she creates with such knocks which turn out to be fruitful.
WEAKNESSES
Over-reliance on some players: There is way too much riding on the shoulders of Stafanie Taylor and Hayley Matthews. They have to score, they have to stitch together partnerships, and they have to find the boundaries too. But that's not all, they also have to do the job with the ball.
Slow starts: West Indies has the firepower and some of the most ferocious batters in their side. But, the intent goes missing and a lot of it comes down to their team planning. They start very slowly and whatever boundaries come are off Dottin's bat. They generally end up with a score in the range of 60-75 in the first 20 overs and that just doesn't quite cut out in modern cricket. To defeat the best at the global stage, you've got to play like the best.
Too many anchors, fewer enforcers: West Indies has Kycia Knight, Kyshona Knight, Rashada Williams, Chedean Nation, Chinelle Henry, and to an extent Stafanie Taylor. All of them bat very slowly and take a long time before they start attacking and finding boundaries. West Indies has one of the lowest boundary% in Women's ODI in the last few years.
Lack of wickets in the PP: This has been a regular problem for the West Indies. Wickets with the new ball are hard to come by, and that's a big reason why they resort to their spinners rather quickly. Connell has been in top-form and the onus will again be on her, but their pace attack as a whole has struggled. There's a chance West Indies will try 2 opening combinations which will be directly reflective on their team selection. Either Connell & Selman might take the new ball, or both will be left out with Alleyne & Henry sharing the new ball duties.
OPPORTUNITIES
Dottin to play her natural game: Dottin has Rashada Williams who partners up with her as an opener and she's your typical anchor. There's either Kycia Knight walking in at #3 or it is Chedean Nation, both of whom are accumulators and slow in getting a move on. This leaves no choice for Dottin, but to attack in the PP and make the most out of it. If she fails or bats slowly, the team will be as good as done and will end up with a below-par score of less than 230.
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
Ineffectiveness of spinners: New Zealand is not known to be spin-friendly, but the West Indies is a team that is heavily reliant on their spinners. If teams decide to take on their spinners and start scoring aggressively, then West Indies will most likely end up conceding 270+ regularly and even 300+ at times as the pacers will find it hard to wrestle back control.
KEY PLAYERS
Stafanie Taylor: She is the third-highest run-getter in WODIs and the first WI player to score 5000 ODI runs. West Indies’ fortune heavily depends upon their captain’s performance
Deandra Dottin: One of the fiercest batters in women’s cricket who can rattle any kind of bowling line-up on her day. Scored has scored 3 centuries in the last 1 year.
Anisa Mohammed: All-time highest ODI wicket-taker for Windies and the highest wicket-taker in T20Is (men/women). This veteran was in great form in 2021 and remained as the highest wicket-taker with 20 wickets.
Hayley Matthews: This young all-rounder is already an established player in the West Indies line-up. Her form in the top order will be crucial for WI. Last year scored a century as well as took 18 wickets. This year too against South Africa she scored a 50 and took wickets.
Likely starting XI: Deandra Dottin, Rashada Williams, Kycia Knight, Stafanie Taylor (C), Hayley Matthews, Shemaine Campbelle (Wk), Chedean Nation, Chinelle Henry, Anisa Mohammed, Shamilia Connell, Shakera Selman
*For the complete schedule of the World Cup, check out the Schedule section of our page, Cricket Queens. World Cup Fixture
World Cup 2022 | Team West Indies | Complete Squad Analysis | SWOT
Written By: Ritwika Dhar, Jeet Vachharajani
Date: 04-03-2022
Picture Courtesy: Cricket Queens
BRIEF HISTORY
- In 1993, West Indies qualified for the first time in the World Cup
- West Indies’ best performance in the 50-over World Cup was in 2013 when they reached the finals against Australia in India
- The last time when New Zealand hosted the World Cup, West Indies didn’t participate
Previous World Cup Appearances: 1993, 1997, 2000, 2005, 2009, 2013, 2017
Best Finish: Finalists - 2013
CURRENT FORM
- West Indies finished at the 7th position in the ICC Championship 2017-2020
- They couldn’t qualify directly for the tournament and had to play the qualifiers. As the qualifiers got canceled due to Covid-19, they went through to the main round on the basis of the ICC rankings
- They played three bilateral series against South Africa and two against Pakistan (home and away). They lost against South Africa but won both the series against Pakistan.
SQUADS
STRENGTHS
Seniors are in phenomenal form: Senior players like captain Stafanie Taylor, Hayley Matthews, Deandra Dottin, & Anisa Mohammed were all in red-hot form in 2021. Where Anisa took 20 wickets in ODIs, all the other mentioned players have scored a century since then.
Reliable spin attack: West Indies is flooded with spinners, but none of these spinners are ordinary in nature. They had an issue not so long ago of having a very orthodox spin attack with no variety as they kept trying off-spinners one after the other. Now, they have Stafanie Taylor, Hayley Matthews, Anisa Mohammed, and Karishma Ramharack as the off-spinners. Mind you, Ramharack has varieties up her sleeve and bowls a lot different than any other off-spinners in this side. They also have recalled the experienced leg-spinner, Afy Fletcher, into their side and have the services of Qiana Joseph as their left-arm orthodox bowler. They are a bowling attack reliant on their spinners more than their players. This generally is the case with the subcontinental teams, but West Indies is an exception.
Dottin firing on all cylinders: Deandra Dottin was an absolute gun all-rounder in women's cricket. After sustaining an injury and undergoing surgeries, her role has been restricted to that of a batter. This limitation has required her to ramp up her performance as a batter and she hasn't disappointed. She is opening the innings and has put up a stellar show ever since. She averages a scary 49.8 as an opener in 13 innings with an above-par SR of 86. In these 13 innings, she has registered 2 half-centuries and 2 centuries. More than anything, it's the impact she creates with such knocks which turn out to be fruitful.
WEAKNESSES
Over-reliance on some players: There is way too much riding on the shoulders of Stafanie Taylor and Hayley Matthews. They have to score, they have to stitch together partnerships, and they have to find the boundaries too. But that's not all, they also have to do the job with the ball.
Slow starts: West Indies has the firepower and some of the most ferocious batters in their side. But, the intent goes missing and a lot of it comes down to their team planning. They start very slowly and whatever boundaries come are off Dottin's bat. They generally end up with a score in the range of 60-75 in the first 20 overs and that just doesn't quite cut out in modern cricket. To defeat the best at the global stage, you've got to play like the best.
Too many anchors, fewer enforcers: West Indies has Kycia Knight, Kyshona Knight, Rashada Williams, Chedean Nation, Chinelle Henry, and to an extent Stafanie Taylor. All of them bat very slowly and take a long time before they start attacking and finding boundaries. West Indies has one of the lowest boundary% in Women's ODI in the last few years.
Lack of wickets in the PP: This has been a regular problem for the West Indies. Wickets with the new ball are hard to come by, and that's a big reason why they resort to their spinners rather quickly. Connell has been in top-form and the onus will again be on her, but their pace attack as a whole has struggled. There's a chance West Indies will try 2 opening combinations which will be directly reflective on their team selection. Either Connell & Selman might take the new ball, or both will be left out with Alleyne & Henry sharing the new ball duties.
OPPORTUNITIES
Dottin to play her natural game: Dottin has Rashada Williams who partners up with her as an opener and she's your typical anchor. There's either Kycia Knight walking in at #3 or it is Chedean Nation, both of whom are accumulators and slow in getting a move on. This leaves no choice for Dottin, but to attack in the PP and make the most out of it. If she fails or bats slowly, the team will be as good as done and will end up with a below-par score of less than 230.
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
Ineffectiveness of spinners: New Zealand is not known to be spin-friendly, but the West Indies is a team that is heavily reliant on their spinners. If teams decide to take on their spinners and start scoring aggressively, then West Indies will most likely end up conceding 270+ regularly and even 300+ at times as the pacers will find it hard to wrestle back control.
KEY PLAYERS
Stafanie Taylor: She is the third-highest run-getter in WODIs and the first WI player to score 5000 ODI runs. West Indies’ fortune heavily depends upon their captain’s performance
Deandra Dottin: One of the fiercest batters in women’s cricket who can rattle any kind of bowling line-up on her day. Scored has scored 3 centuries in the last 1 year.
Anisa Mohammed: All-time highest ODI wicket-taker for Windies and the highest wicket-taker in T20Is (men/women). This veteran was in great form in 2021 and remained as the highest wicket-taker with 20 wickets.
Hayley Matthews: This young all-rounder is already an established player in the West Indies line-up. Her form in the top order will be crucial for WI. Last year scored a century as well as took 18 wickets. This year too against South Africa she scored a 50 and took wickets.
Likely starting XI: Deandra Dottin, Rashada Williams, Kycia Knight, Stafanie Taylor (C), Hayley Matthews, Shemaine Campbelle (Wk), Chedean Nation, Chinelle Henry, Anisa Mohammed, Shamilia Connell, Shakera Selman
*For the complete schedule of the World Cup, check out the Schedule section of our page, Cricket Queens. World Cup Fixture