There is seldom any doubt that the girls from the Caribbean are one of the serious contenders for the Women’s World T20 championship this year. West Indies have had an envious run in the World T20 so far as they made it to the semi-final four out of six times and clinched the championship in 2016 when the World Cup was hosted by India.
Quite interestingly, West Indies were knocked out in the semi-finals on two occasions when the tournament was played in their own backyard.
| YEAR | HOST | PERFORMANCE/RESULT |
| 2009 | England | Stage |
| 2010 | West Indies | Final |
| 2012 | Sri Lanka | Final |
| 2014 | Bangladesh | Semi-Final |
| 2016 | India | Champion |
| 2018 | West Indies | Semi- Final |
This year, West Indies will certainly look to carry on from where they left in 2018 and aim to make it to the finals.
The 15-member squad of West Indies looks as follows: Stafanie Taylor (captain), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle (wicket-keeper), Shamilia Connell, Britney Cooper, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Cherry-Ann Fraser, Sheneta Grimmond, Chinelle Henry, Lee-Ann Kirby, Hayley Matthews, Anisa Mohammed, Chedean Nation, Shakera Selman
Here’s a sneak peek into the strengths and weaknesses of the West Indian team.
Strengths
The wealth of experience that Stafanie Taylor has, not only as a player but also as the captain of the side is the standout feature of West Indies. Taylor has already completed a century of T20Is and is looking nice and strong. With 2900 runs at an average of close to 36, Stafanie is the most prolific batter in the West Indian line-up. To accompany her, there is Deandra Dottin who can smack the ball all-round the park. Dottin has two T20I centuries and is a true game-changer.
From the bowling perspective, Shamilia Connell and Britney Cooper will look to hurry the batters with their sheer pace. Accompanying them will be the experienced office, Anisa Mohammed. Taylor and Dottin can also roll their arms and are more than handy with the ball.
The West Indian outfit is one of the best fielding sides going into the World Cup. They are quick, they are agile and have a good throwing arm. Converting the ones into twos will be challenging for the opposition given their top-quality groundwork.
Weaknesses
As far as the batting is concerned, there is a lot of dependence on Stafanie Taylor and Deandra Dottin. The question will be who will step up if any or both of them fall cheaply. Shemaine Campbelle has the experience but hasn’t been able to capitalize on the starts that she gets. The Caribbeans will have this at the back of their minds but let’s see how they tackle the crunch situations.
The West Indian bowling looks good but relative inexperience compared to their batting may have an effect on their performance. Since they have a lot many spinners in their ranks it will be interesting to see if Stafanie opens with the spinners or follows the convention of starting the proceeding with medium pacers. Adjusting to the Aussie conditions as early as possible will be the key.
With respect to the fielding, there seem to be no weaknesses. They have to keep it simple, hold on to the catches and pick the best fielders who will serve as the boundary riders.
I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.