ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – West Indies have identified winning as their top priority ahead of their Twenty20 International three-match series against Sri Lanka starting here today, with captain Kieron Pollard pointing to senior players who have recently been remembered as essential to these plans.
Last week the selectors recalled a shock to 39-year-old fast bowler Fidel Edwards who has not played a single international in nearly a decade, and also called 41-year-old opener Chris Gayle, who has not appeared for India West in nearly two years.
And with the likes of Dwayne Bravo, 37, and Lendl Simmons, 36, also in the 14-man squad along with the well-traveled Andre Fletcher, West Indies has no shortage of experience as they kick off a campaign that culminates with their defense of their T20 World Cup title in India in October.
Speaking on the eve of the inaugural T20 International at Coolidge Cricket Ground, Pollard reiterated the value that the veteran players brought to the squad, noting that younger players had not maximized the opportunities afforded to them since the last T20 World Cup five years ago.
“Some of the younger players would have seized opportunities when we started from 2019 [when I became captain] and it has not consistently produced the results we would have wanted, ”Pollard told a media conference on Tuesday.
“Guys were still in and out for reasons other than cricket and things like that, and these [older] men continue to perform despite their age … and once you show that you can perform at the highest level and the franchise level, the opportunity is still there. “
He continued: “I think we need to start winning cricket matches as a team, we need to start winning a series because we can just go down the line thinking about bloody talent but [the media] still talking about consequences at the end of it too.
“So we have to strike that balance and we have to start winning cricket matches. We are the defending champions of the T20 World Cup and we have to get into that habit, and if it is a case of having extra or higher men in the team too to start that process, so will it. ”
Despite the presence of the veteran players, a couple of uncapped players will have the chance to prove themselves with 27-year-old left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein and 21-year-old spinner Kevin Sinclair included.
Trinidadian Hosein who made an impressive one-day first appearance in the series made three recent away matches for Bangladesh while Sinclair shined in the regional domestic white ball tournaments.
Left-arm regulator Obed McCoy, who played two T20 internationals two years ago, has also won a recall and Pollard believes the presence of the highly experienced players along with the rookies, has delivered the ideal mix on for the West Indies.
“For us, we’re excited to get some individuals back, we’re excited to have the younger guys also trying to get that opportunity,” explained Pollard.
“I think the way to move forward is to have that kind of mix in the team where you have youth and experience [and] the young men can learn from the experienced men. Here are some of the things that have been missing throughout 2016 until now.
“Can we safely say that we put our best T20 team out to go to any series? There are always different things happening in the middle of it so we have to start somewhere and this is the starting point for us.
“We have about 18 games plus a whole CPL before the World Cup so men can have chances and we can see where we need to come this October. As the coach said, we need to win cricket matches as we go through that process and that’s the way we go. “
West Indies have had a miserable time in the shortest format in recent years, winning just five of their last 20 outings to slip down the International Cricket Council’s team rankings to 10th.
They ended 2020 with a 2-0 defeat in New Zealand but Pollard said past results are now behind them as they look forward to a fresh start.
“We haven’t talked about what happened in New Zealand but that’s what it is, that’s done and skewed. I’m a big believer in dealing with the present at the moment and obviously this series is very, very important, ”he stressed.
“This is the first home series in a long time and we have new personnel in the team … so it’s just a matter of getting together as soon as possible. We came off a Super50 tournament so it’s all about going to a T20 rut and an international series. ”
Wednesday’s match will be played under lights starting at 6pm.
SQUARE:
WEST INDUSTRIES – Kieron Pollard (captain), Nicholas Pooran (lieutenant), Fabien Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Fidel Edwards, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Rovman Powell, Lendl Simmons, Kevin Sinclair.
SRI LANKA – Dimuth Karunaratne (captain), Ashen Bandara, Dushmantha Chameera, Dinesh Chandimal, Akila Dananjaya, Hasaranga de Silva, Asitha Fernando, Nuwan Pradeep, Oshada Fernando, Danushka Gunathilaka, Suranga Lakmal, Dilshan Madushanka, Angelo. Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Thisara Perera, Lakshan Sandakan.