Eric Spin may play a crucial role in the West Indies, going in favour of the co-hosts, says former selector Roland Butcher.
West Indies’ Alzarri Joseph waves
West Indies will seek to become the first team to lift the T20 World Cup on three occasions when they co-host the tournament with the United States [Rick Rycroft/AP Photo]
By Kevin Hand
Published On 2 Jun 2024
2 Jun 2024
Captain: Rovman Powell
Fixtures: Papua New Guinea (June 2), Uganda (June 9), New Zealand (June 13), Afghanistan (June 18)
Best finish at T20 World Cup: Champions (2012 and 2016)
The steady rise of the West Indies to the top of the game in the 1970s was built upon a ferocious pace quartet, but their plot to win the T20 World Cup, which they are co-hosting with the United States, could hinge on a trio of spinners.
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For nearly four decades, the Caribbean rolled out lightning-quick bowlers that struck fear into their opponents. From Joel Garner, Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, and Malcolm Marshall to Courtney Walsh, and Curtly Ambrose, it was an incredible line of bowling talent.
The demise of cricket in the region in the last 20 years is much lamented, mainly for, and due to, the loss of the thrill of seeing giants of cricket hurling the ball with such speed and aggression.
Where Test and one-day international (ODI) dominance has declined since the turn of the century, Twenty20 cricket has become something of a beacon for West Indies fans. This tournament is hoped to mark a record third World Cup win in the format with spinners set to be decisive, according to former West Indies selector and England batter, Roland Butcher.
“West Indies have got the players man-to-man to win it,” Butcher told Al Jazeera. “Their strength is going to be their spin bowling. Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie and Roston Chase are going to be key bowlers.”
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India and Pakistan to cash in on US venues
The tournament group stages will be played across three US venues – New York, Dallas and Florida – and all of the Caribbean.
The latter stages of the tournament will move to the Caribbean, where West Indies will play all their games. This, Butcher believes, will play into the hands of the current crop of Caribbean players as per May’s 3-0 T20 series trouncing of South Africa.
“The pitches [in the Caribbean] don’t really suit the faster bowlers,” Butcher continued.
“The ball was turning square for the spin bowlers in the series against South Africa, [Gudakesh] Motie got three in each of the first two games to win the matches and you’ll see a lot of that going on.
“The pitches in the US are going to be the best ones of the whole tournament. I have the feeling that they have produced Australian drop-in pitches.
“Hopefully, you will see the likes of India and Pakistan scoring a lot of runs but it’s not going to be the same when it comes to the West Indies, the scores are going to be much lower.”
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