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THE EDITOR: The West Indies T20 World Cup cricket team had injuries to key players – Obed McCoy, Fabian Allen and Andre Russell. Injuries don’t help any team. However, at the international level that’s no excuse.
Russell was rested at the recently concluded IPL 2020 final because he couldn’t be risked as his knee injury needed more rehabilitation. We have a squad for a reason. If a player is injured, why play him? Andre Fletcher is a big-hitting replacement.
Yes, it’s the T20 format, but fitness is compulsory. Players were carrying too much weight, and the fielding was sluggish and lazy. Also, at that level adjusting to the climate and recovering from jet lag should not be a cause for concern, as most of the squad had been in the UAE for at least a month.
The WI is known to be an explosive and boundary-hitting team. Regrettably, the players were hell-bent on reckless swings at every ball. There was no rotation of strike, no running of singles and twos, no exploitation of gaps, no straight-bat technique or use of feet for shot selection.
I hope I’m wrong, but watching some of our batsmen close up, some weren’t holding the bat correctly. England and South Africa worked out the equation for executing their bowling game plans. As for our bowling, there were free-for-all extras, criminal line and length in the powerplay and at the death.
Regardless, the squad selection was good enough, in my opinion. Critics will say if Jason and Sherfane Rutherford had played we would have won. However, if results were favourable without, the people of the West Indies would be partying non-stop.
Thanks a ton for your service, Dwayne Bravo and Chris Gayle. You are legends of the format and ambassadors of Cricket West Indies all around the globe.
I wish the WI all the best in its next innings.

KENDELL KARAN

via e-mail
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