What will this ‘Hope-less’ Windies ODI batting group bring to Bangladesh?

By Brandon Corlette

The West Indies One Day International (ODI) team will start the tour to Bangladesh on January 20 with the first of three ODIs.
It will certainly be a new-look team taking the park in Dhaka; and, as usual, West Indies’ batting will be under the microscope. In previous series, the batting had been poor, but with an inexperienced batting group that has been described as talented by West Indies ODI vice-captain Sunil Ambris, the outcome of this encounter remains to be seen. It would be important for batsmen to click collectively for West Indies to compete against Bangladesh.

“We have a talented bunch of guys that, once they stick to that they know, will turn out okay in the series,” Ambris said during his media interaction on Friday last.
West Indies have played Test matches and T20s in their last tours to England and New Zealand. The Caribbean team last played an ODI in March 2020 against Sri Lanka. That seems a lifetime ago, and guess who was the leading batsman on that tour, Shai Hope. The right-hander scored 238 runs at an average of 79.3 in the three-match series, with one century and two half-centuries.
Hope has also been outstanding in the last series against Bangladesh, which was played in Ireland; he scored 470 runs in five matches. The last time West Indies played an ODI series in Bangladesh, in 2018-19, Hope scored 297 runs in the three-match series, which included two classy centuries.

Certainly, this West Indies ODI batting group will be Hope-less.
In terms of matches played among the batsmen in the ODI team, Rovman Powell, who does more batting that bowling, has 34 matches under his belt, but his record is not impressive. Powell will be eager to play an integral role in the Jason Mohammed-led ODI team.
Powell has played in 34 ODIs and has scored one century and two half-centuries at an average of 23.92. Captain Mohammed played in 28 ODIs and has scored 551 runs at an average of 23.9 with a high-score of 91, including four fifties.
The current West Indies batting group are unable to boast stellar ODI records, but in a short career, Ambris has had 13 ODI caps and has scored 447 runs at an average of 44.7, including one century and two fifties.
West Indies vice-captain Ambris has a decent ODI record against Bangladesh, and with the first-time assurance of starting this series, he will be aiming to score runs and cement his place in future ODI teams.
While addressing the media, the excited Ambris said he is aiming to score at least one century in this ODI series.
The likes of Nkrumah Bonner, Joshua Da Silva, Jahmar Hamilton, Kyle Mayers, Andre McCarthy and Kjorn Ottley, who may play roles with the bat in the upcoming ODI series, are still without debuts at the ODI level. The West Indies will not be able to rely on experience, but how much talent does this inexperienced batting group have to combat the Bangladesh bowling?

West Indies ODI Squad: Jason Mohammed (captain), Sunil Ambris (vice-captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Joshua Da Silva, Jahmar Hamilton, Chemar Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Andre McCarthy, Kjorn Ottley, Rovman Powell, Keon Harding, and Raymon Reifer.