The West Indies men’s team is looking toward the future following a disappointing T20 International home series against England.
The five-match campaign ended Sunday night at Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, with the final fixture officially recorded as a “No Result” due to afternoon downpours.
While there were moments of excitement for Daren Sammy’s charges during the series, England walked away with the spoils, winning the series 3-1.
The T20 series loss marks back-to-back defeats for the Windies, following their fall to Sri Lanka away last month. Additionally, the victory marks England’s first series win of any kind in the Caribbean since 2019.
Wicket losses in the powerplay were among the key talking points in the series. In the first three games, the Windies lost a total of 11 wickets during the first six overs. According to historical data, teams that lose three wickets in the powerplay only win 23% of their matches. This struggle was highlighted by both coach Sammy and captain Rovman Powell as an area of concern.
Another key talking point was the decision to start fixtures at 4 p.m., partly to appease the England audience.
Caribbean cricket depends on tours from the “Big 3” (England, Australia, and India) for financial reasons, and streaming to audiences in the visiting country is a necessary element.
However, afternoon starts posed significant challenges for teams batting first in this series, as pitches became increasingly easier to bat on as the game progressed. Anytime a team won the toss and fielded first, they won the game.
However, Captain Powell is not making excuses and has admitted that his team must improve moving forward, stating:
“We have a template to work with, it took us three games to wonder what was happening. As a bowling group we need to sharpen up in certain areas. As Caribbean cricketers we wander off and play for different leagues, we have to keep our communication and make sure we’re ready to go.”
The Windies will hope to improve their T20 fortunes soon when they face Bangladesh in December and continue to build toward upcoming ICC tournaments.
