Corlette’s Review: A fall from grace for West Indies at T20 World Cup

By Brandon Corlette

From two-time T20 World Cup champions to shaping up to play a qualifying round for the 2022 T20 World Cup. Let that sink in for a moment. Without a doubt, the West Indies created a legacy in T20 cricket and produced some great players in the format. Kudos to that, but now it’s post-mortem time.
After that performance of one win and four heavy defeats in the 2021 T20 World Cup, it is a total fall from grace. Many would have questioned the inclusion and omission of certain players, myself included.

I posed a question to Captain Kieron Pollard, before the tournament, noting that form and performance should be the core for selecting players, (according to that selection policy that is now being reviewed) and I was seeking clarity about Darren Bravo’s selection to the reserves.
That followed the infamous outburst, where Pollard noted that as a Journalist, I should support the team and not question selection. Who said I do not support the team?

As far as I remember, a journalist should be objective and ask the questions for the people who cannot ask. That outburst followed a more significant one, when Chris Gayle slammed Sir Curtly Ambrose, who simply said Gayle should not be an automatic pick in the starting XI. Gayle responded by saying he has no respect for the legendary Ambrose.
It would have been better if Gayle slammed a century in response to the legend, who, like other legends, has been critical of West Indies cricket, but entitled to his opinion.

How was that, in a nutshell, for the off-field performances?
On the field of play, Shimron Hetmyer scored 127 runs, the most by a West Indies player with a high score of 81. Then came Evin Lewis (105) and Nicholas Pooran with 103. The ‘big boys’ not only failed, but failed miserably. Gayle, who did not retire, scored 45 runs in all five matches, a performance that he described as “probably his worst”.
Andre Russell, who described his World Cup campaign as a tough one and said his trust for humanity is getting smaller, made 25 runs and took three wickets. Pollard, who noted that he still intends to play international cricket, made 90 runs while the in-form batsman Roston Chase scored only 48. Lendl Simmons, one of the senior statesmen in the team, made 19 runs in two matches he played, one innings was arguably the most painstaking T20I knock by a West Indian.
The champion Dwayne Bravo, who got his farewell after significant contributions to West Indies cricket, made 26 runs and took two wickets. Senior pro Ravi Rampaul failed to replicate his CPL exploits, as he ended with two wickets in four matches. Hayden Walsh, who showed poor form in the CPL, went wicket-less in the two matches he played.
How ugly did it look for the selectors when two reserves came in and made immediate impact?
Akeal Hosein, who was the find of the tournament, claimed five wickets in five matches at an economy rate of seven. Jason Holder also made an impact in the only match that West Indies won in this campaign. He blazed 15, took a top catch, and claimed 1-22.
Obed McCoy and Fabian Allen suffered injuries heading into the tournament, hence they were risky selections. All that talk about Oshane Thomas being the ‘X’ factor, and he did not play a game while Andre Fletcher watched all the matches from the sidelines as well.
Now that the 2021 T20 World Cup is done and dusted, the maroon men will have to examine themselves, rebuild and come strong again. The young talents are certainly capable, but they must be managed properly. A cure or a vaccine for the dot-ball disease must be implemented, and players must be consistent, humble, disciplined and dedicated.