Windies need to curb mindless aggression

Chris Gayle
Chris Gayle failed to guide the Caribbeans home against the Kiwis. AFP

The West Indies started their World Cup campaign with a thumping victory over Pakistan. They bowled out the Asian giants for just 105 runs and chased down the target inside 14 overs. But from then on, almost nothing has gone right for the Caribbeans. They have lost four games out of five after the victory against Pakistan while the match against South Africa was washed out.

Apart from the matches against Australia and Bangladesh, the West Indies batting line-up has failed to build partnerships in the middle orders. This hurt them in the matches against England and New Zealand.

On Saturday, when Chris Gayle and Shimron Hetmyer were at the crease, the Caribbeans looked all set to inflict the first defeat on the Kiwis in this World Cup. But the wicket of Hetmyer (54) turned the game around for New Zealand.

Gayle-Hetmyer duo batted aggressively and after the wicket of Hetmyer, others also tried to follow the attacking mode. In their chase of 292, against a top bowling side, what the Windies needed was another solid partnership.

Rather than building a partnership, the Windies batsmen went for glory shots and perished in the process. Chris Gayle (87), captain Jason Holder (0), Ashley Nurse (1) and Ewin Lewis (0) got out in quick time while trying to hit boundaries.

Veteran opener Gayle, the most experienced batsman in the side, also failed to curb is aggression even as Hetymer and Holder departed in quick succession.

This World Cup was the perfect time for West Indies to show their strength in the shorter version of the game. They have one of the most dangerous batting units in the competition. Most of their batsmen are big-hitters. But even as the tournament is coming alive, we are witnessing the downfall of the Caribbean big-hitters.

The West Indian batsmen should follow the attitude shown by Carlos Brathwaite against the Kiwis. He stood in the middle and smashed the bad balls and respected the good deliveries. His gallant knock (101) took the Caribbeans to the doorsteps of a famous win only to fall short by just five runs.

Top knock
Carlos Brathwaite's sensational knock went in vain. AFP

Another problem that Windies are facing is that most of their batsmen are T20 specialists and all of them are playing in different leagues across the globe. They have adopted the same aggressive method in ODIs too.

The West Indian pacers have been impressive so far. They have managed to restrict top batting teams like Australia and New Zealand under the 300-run mark. Sheldon Cottrell has been one of the best new-ball bowlers this tournament and has nine wickets to his credit.

The Windies batsmen need to adopt a mature approach in the remaining games, though it is highly unlikely that they will make it to the semifinals.

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