The Cricket World Cup Qualifiers 2023 in Zimbabwe are coming to an exciting end. Sri Lanka took first place and will go to CWC 2023. Against all odds, the Netherlands secured the second spot. Zimbabwe, Scotland, and the West Indies didn’t make it to the main event. The West Indies were the first of the three sides to be knocked out after losing to Scotland. There were many issues with their tournament, and Darren Sammy and his team have a lot to analyze.
The Windies faltered in three areas of the game. Firstly, their batting was inconsistent, with no one player stepping up to anchor the innings. Secondly, their fielding was not up to par, with several dropped catches and missed run-out opportunities. Lastly, their bowling lacked discipline, with too many wides and no-balls. The West Indies can learn from Sri Lanka’s consistent batting and disciplined bowling, as well as the Netherlands’ strong team effort.
Closing games out with the ball
The West Indies’ inability to close out games with the ball is the main reason they’re out of the 2023 Cricket World Cup. One game against the Netherlands stands out. Despite scoring 374/6, the West Indies let the Netherlands score close to 200 runs in the last 20 overs. Logan Van Beek’s strong finish and performance in the Super Over led to the Netherlands securing a dream turnaround.
Sri Lanka rarely let opponents get away from them. Hasaranga, Mahesh Theekshana, and Lahiru Kumara were too good for most opponents. It was surprising to see the West Indies struggle to tie down opponents with the ball despite having a quality pace attack in seamer-friendly conditions.
Not Losing Wickets in a Heap
The West Indies had trouble forming more than 1-2 decent partnerships in an innings. The West Indies top order made few contributions, which affected their batting when Shai Hope and Nicholas Pooran couldn’t find a stable partner. The middle-order batters, like Roston Chase or Jason Holder, rarely stayed at the crease long enough to build a substantial partnership with Hope or Pooran.
The Netherlands’ batting depth served them well throughout the tournament, extending up to No. 9 or No. 10. They found a way to score crucial runs and build partnerships in even the worst of circumstances.
Respecting the New Ball Bowlers
At Harare and Bulawayo, the seamers were assisted in almost every match. The new ball bowlers rarely didn’t pick up a wicket or two. Dimuth Karunaratne and Pathum Nissanka from Sri Lanka were skilled at handling the opposition’s new ball bowlers in most games and are among the top five run scorers of the tournament.
In contrast, Max O’Dowd and Vikramjit Singh from the Netherlands applied themselves at the crease better than any of the WI top-order batters. The West Indies lost wickets early in their innings, which meant that Shai Hope and Nicholas Pooran had to carry most of the workload. Their lack of focus made things more difficult for their team. Their lapse of concentration made things tougher for their team.
