T20 World Cup 2024: SWOT analysis of West Indies – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats

West Indies Cricket Team. (Photo Source: X(Twitter)

Playing on their home turf, West Indies are one of the favourites to win the upcoming T20 World Cup. The men from the Caribbean have lost their pride in the recent past when they failed to qualify for the T20 World Cup 2022 and then for the ODI World Cup in India. They were called out by former cricketers, experts, and commentators, and then, in January 2024, they did something extraordinary to shut them up.

Against all the odds, West Indies defeated Australia by eight runs at Gabba to finish the two-match Test series on level terms. Following the victory, skipper Kraigg Brathwaite reminded West Indies are not ‘hopeless’ or ‘pathetic’ as former cricketer Rodney Hogg called them earlier. Ideally, that should be the template for the team in the forthcoming T20 World Cup. The Rovman Powell-led side received massive criticism in the recent past and this is arguably their best chance to silence them.

Unlike yesteryears, they have finally named a full-strength squad, barring Jason Holder, who suffered an injury while playing in the County, and Sunil Narine, who announced retirement from international cricket. Despite that, they have multiple match-winners in the squad and if the players remain consistent and play to their merit, West Indies will be an extremely difficult side to beat in the tournament.

Notably, they are in Group C, along with New Zealand, Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea, and Uganda. The top two teams will qualify for the Super 8 and needless to say, it won’t be a cakewalk for them. Afghanistan are the underdogs of the tournament and they have the best spin attack in the world, which can challenge West Indies. On the other hand, New Zealand bring out the best in them in ICC tournaments and so, the hosts will have to have to play their best cricket to qualify for the playoffs.

Here are the positives, negatives, and everything you need to know about the West Indies team.

1. Attention to detail- Strengths

Beating West Indies in T20 format has never been easy. It seems like their new generation is tailor-made to succeed in the shortest format of the game and playing a World Cup at home, there’s nothing they would want more than winning the trophy. From Powell to Nicholas Pooran, from Shimron Hetmyer to Andre Russell, on their day, no target is safe when they are on the crease.

Notably, in recent times, the strike rate has been a major point as far as T20 cricket is concerned and fortunately, it is their biggest strength. West Indies do not know any other way. They have good players of both pace and spin and have enough firepower in the tank to go the distance and lift the coveted trophy after eight years.

Having many all-rounders in the squad is also a big positive for West Indies. Similarly playing all their matches on known conditions is a massive advantage. With time, the surfaces of West Indies tend to get slower and the experience of playing in such conditions will come in handy.

The Achilles’ Heel- Weaknesses

Even though the conditions will assist them, the bowlers must pull up their socks to get the job done. Alazarri Joesph had a very ordinary IPL and was dropped from the playing XI of Royal Challengers Bengaluru at one point, while Gudakesh Motie doesn’t have enough experience in handling pressure in big tournaments. Shamar Joseph, on the other hand, is still raw and couldn’t prove himself under pressure in the IPL.

Russell meanwhile is expected to bowl in the death overs alongside either Obed McCoy, who replaced Holder in the squad, or Romario Shepherd. The latter failed to justify with the ball for Mumbai in the IPL and that’s a concern as well. Apart from Russell, who has picked up 19 wickets in 15 matches of IPL 2024, Akeal Hosein seems to be the only bowler West Indies can rely upon.

Meanwhile, WI won the T20I series against South Africa 3-0, which has further up their morale ahead of the T20 WC.

The Crowning Moment- Opportunity

West Indies have the opportunity to become the first team in history to win the T20 World Cup on three different occasions. They won their last ODI World Cup in 1979 and to date, they haven’t won another one but when it comes to T20 cricket, they are arguably the maestros of the format. The players miss key international series’ to play franchise cricket all over the year and it is high time for them to step up and deliver in a format that they are so used to. Playing at home, there might not be a better opportunity.

The Perfect Storm- Threats

If playing at home is a boon, it is also a bane. There will be a lot of expectations that the two-time champions need to handle. On top of that, they have a relatively tougher group, which won’t make things easy for the side. They have too many power hitters in the mix but they also need to know the art of rotating strikes. Brandon King and Shai Hope will be key in that case.