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WEST Indies had a difficult 2022, which was compounded by a poor showing at the T20 World Cup in Australia. And to add insult to injury, the team ended the year with a 2-0 Test walloping in Australia.
The regional side is again in a period of transition with the exits of veteran players, men's coach Phil Simmons and white-ball captain Nicholas Pooran.
However, there were some highs with Trinbago Knight Riders women’s team creating history in the inagural Women's Caribbean Premier League and an impressive debut Down Under for Tagenarine Chanderpaul, 26, son of West Indies legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
WORLD CUP T20 CATASTROPHE
West Indies, winners of the T20 World Cup in 2012 and 2016, embarassingly did not qualify for the main draw (Super 12s) of the T20 World Cup, after crashing out of the qualifying tournament in October.
West Indies were eliminated after being demolished by nine wickets against Ireland in the qualifiers in Australia.
West Indies scored a modest 146/5 in 20 overs batting first and in response Ireland raced to 150/1 in 17.3 overs at the Bellerive Oval, Hobart.
West Indies needed to finish in the top two in Group B to advance to the Super12s. Instead they finished fourth in the group with one win and two losses.
Before the defeat against Ireland, West Indies lost their opening match against Scotland by 42 runs and got past Zimbabwe by 31 runs.
Zimbabwe and Ireland qualified for the main draw. Scotland also missed out after finishing third.
West Indies were without many of their T20 stars who helped the regional team to the pinnacle of the T20 format.
[caption id="attachment_993685" align="alignnone" width="859"] Red Force pacer Shannon Gabriel bowls against Guyana in the Super 50 Cup at the Brian Lara Academy, Tarouba, in November. - Lincoln Holder[/caption]
Over the past year, a number of senior players have either retired or have not been considered for selection. Former West Indies captain Kieron Pollard, Lendl Simmons and Dwayne Bravo have all retired.
Chris Gayle has not retired, but is 43 years old. Andre Russell and Sunil Narine are still plying their trade around the world but do not seem to be on the same page with Cricket West Indies.
Guyana's Shimron Hetmyer also did himself no favours after missing two flights to Australia. His commitment to regional cricket remains in question.
WHO WANTS TO BE CAPTAIN?
Former West Indies T20 and ODI captain Kieron Pollard announced his retirement from international cricket. Pollard was 34 at the time of his announcement in April.
On Instagram, Pollard said, “After careful deliberation, I have today decided to retire from international cricket. As is the case for many young persons, it was a dream of mine to represent the West Indies team from the time I was a boy of ten years and I am proud to have represented West Indies cricket for over 15 years in both the T20 and ODI forms of the game.”
Pollard was the captain of West Indies since September 2019. West Indies made progress in the ODI format under Pollard. In 17 matches, Pollard’s team won 11 matches and lost six.
His record as T20 captain was not spectacular as he won seven matches and lost eight in 17 matches. Two matches ended in a no result.
In the 2021 T20 World Cup, which was held a year late because of the covid19 pandemic, West Indies did not advance past the group phase under Pollard.
In group one, West Indies finished fifth in the six-team group with one win and four losses.
Pooran was named the new West Indies T20 and ODI captain in May, but by November he had resigned. Pooran filled in for Pollard before May 2022. In total, he captained the team in 23 T20 matches and ended with a record of eight wins, 14 losses and one no result. As ODI captain he won four matches and lost 13.
The low point for Pooran would have been failing to get his team past the qualifiers of the 2022 T20 World Cup.
Pooran told CWI, “I remain ambitious and still view the captaincy of West Indies cricket as an honour that is bestowed upon you. There is no doubt I remain fully committed to West Indies cricket and I look forward to providing my services as a senior player in a supportive role.”
TKR FALL FLAT IN CPL
Four-time champions Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) were seen as one of the favourites when the squads were announced for the 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
Kieron Pollard was again at the helm with power hitters Andre Russell, Nicholas Pooran and Colin Munro in the line-up. The team’s spin bowling department also had quality with the likes of West Indies left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein and Sunil Narine.
[caption id="attachment_993683" align="alignnone" width="1024"] West Indies' Nicholas Pooran plays a shot in the air and is caught during the ICC men’s Twenty20 World Cup 2022 match against Ireland at Bellerive Oval in Hobart on October 21. - (AFP PHOTO)[/caption]
TKR never came to the party and finished last in the six-team tournament. It was the worst finish by the TT franchise in the ten-year history of the CPL and the first time TKR did not qualify for the play-offs.
In ten matches, TKR won three matches, lost six and one match ended in a no result.
The batting was expected to be one of TKR’s strengths, but the batsmen never delivered.
Russell, who showed glimpses of his power in the inaugural SKYEXCH 6ixty tournament before the CPL, ended the tournament with just 119 runs in nine innings at an average of 17.
Pollard was also not influential, scoring 132 runs in nine innings at an average of 14.66. He ended the tournament with a strike rate of just 98.50 – well below his T20 career strike rate of 150.
Pooran, despite scoring 52 in one match, only scored 108 runs in nine innings. If you minus his knock of 52, he only scored 56 runs in eight innings at an average of seven.
RED FORCE FALL AT FINAL HURDLE
Defending champions TT Red Force lost the CG United Super50 Cup final to Jamaica Scorpions by three wickets at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua in November.
Batting first, Red Force posted 217 all out in 47 overs. The Red Force batting was impressive in the latter stages of the tournament, but did not deliver in the final.
Scorpions sealed the title getting to 218/7 in 47 overs.
Earlier in the year, the West Indies Four-Day Championship was played for the first time in two years, because of the pandemic.
Red Force seemed set to end their drought in the competition after winning their first two matches when the competition bowled off in February.
The TT franchise could not maintain that form when the tournament resumed in May losing two matches and drawing one to end the tournament in fourth place among the six teams. Barbados Pride won the title.
The last time Red Force won the four-day title was in the 2005/2006 season.
[caption id="attachment_993684" align="alignnone" width="790"] OUT THE DOOR: Phil Simmons resigned as West Indies men's head coach. FILE PHOTO -[/caption]
WI WOMEN REACH WORLD CUP SEMIS
West Indies women created a buzz at the ICC Women’s 50-over World Cup in New Zealand, upsetting higher-ranked teams. It was a challenging schedule for West Indies as the regional team faced hosts New Zealand and England in their first two matches.
Both matches went down to the wire as West Indies pulled off two nerve-racking victories. Hayley Matthews struck 119 to lead West Indies to a competitive 259/9 in 50 overs against New Zealand. It was then the Dottin show.
Medium pacer Dottin grabbed two wickets in the final over to help dismiss New Zealand for 256 in 49.5 overs as West Indies escaped with a three-run win.
Fans were at the edge of the seat again in the West Indies match against England in round two. Batting first again, West Indies posted 225/6 with Shemaine Campbelle leading the way with 66.
Mohammed completed the match on this occasion bowling Anya Shrubsole for duck as England were dismissed for 218 in 47.4 overs.
The celebration following the wicket brought a smile to West Indies fans as Mohammed ran in the direction of the boundary with all her team-mates trying to catch her. Medium pacer Shamilia Connell was also useful with the ball grabbing 3/38.
West Indies were inconsistent in the remainder of the group stage ending with three wins, three losses and one no result. West Indies qualified for the semi-finals, finishing fourth in the preliminary stage.
However, in the semi-finals, West Indies lost by 157 runs to eventual winners Australia.
DOTTIN RETIRES, MOHAMMED TAKES BREAK
In July, Dottin, 31, announced her retirement from international cricket. Dottin, who made her debut in 2008, played 143 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 124 T20s for West Indies.
On Twitter, Dottin said, “The current climate and team environment has been non-conductive to my ability to thrive and reignite my passion."
Dottin was one of the most destructive batters in women’s cricket as she was known for her ability to hit sixes. She was also a brilliant fielder and a useful medium pace bowler.
In ODIs she made 3,727 runs and took 72 wickets. In T20s Dottin made 2,681 runs and also snatched 62 wickets with best figures of 5-5.
Dottin was part of the West Indies team which defeated Australia to win the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup title in India in 2016.
[caption id="attachment_993682" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) managing director Venky Mysore, centre, with TKR women's captain Deandra Dottin, right, and spinner Anisa Mohammed. - Trinbago Knight Riders[/caption]
Mohammed, 34, has also been missing as he took a six-month break from international cricket in September.
Mohammed told CWI, "This is not a permanent goodbye, but rather a 'see you soon.' I wish the team all the best in all their forthcoming series."
Mohammed made her debut for West Indies at 13 at the women’s cricket World Cup qualifiers in Holland in 2003. She established herself as the premier spin bowler for the West Indies going on to become the first men’s or women’s cricketer to snatch 100 T20 international wickets.
West Indies have had a tough time in the absence of Dottin and Mohammed. West Indies lost an ODI series 2-1 against New Zealand in September, before losing 4-1 in a T20 series. England were merciless against West Indies winning a T20 series 5-0 and an ODI series 3-0. All the matches were played in the Caribbean.
TKR WIN FIRST MASSY WOMEN’S CPL
In the WCPL final against Barbados Royals, TKR were led by the experienced pair of Anisa Mohammed and Deandra Dottin.
Dottin scored 59 off 62 balls with two sixes and four fours to guide TKR to 100/7 in 20 overs.
Off spinner Mohammed grabbed 3/16 to help dismiss Royals for 90 in 18.4 overs as TKR won the final by ten runs.
Women cricketers have been clamouring for a women’s CPL for years and the organisers answered the call in 2022. It featured three teams including TKR, Royals and Guyana Amazon Warriors with the entire tournament being played in St Kitts.
The women cricketers also played matches in the 6ixty.
 
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