I’m always looking for a silver lining in anything regarding West Indies cricket, hoping that something will spur the resurgence of the team.
However, disappointments often befall my expectations but I rarely waver in my anticipation. It is in that context that I’m hoping for an encouraging showing from the Caribbean men, particularly the younger players, in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) which begins today in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
We know what to expect from superstar performers like Andrew Russell; big-hitting, searing yorkers, and the occasional bit of brilliance in the field, even when as he hobbles around on his troubled knees. Russell, who will turn out for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), has a prolific IPL career. After 64 matches, he averages 33 and operates at a strike rate of nearly 190. He also has 55 wickets at a strike rate of 18.89. There is no doubting his pedigree.
Enough has been said about his teammate Sunil Narine who has also been a trump card for the Kolkata side. Narine, after 110 matches, has snared 122 wickets and sits at number eight on the all-time IPL leading wicket-takers list. His economy rate is also box-office, landing him fourth on the all-time leading IPL list at 6.67 only behind Rashid Khan (6.55), Anil Kumble (6.57), and Glenn McGrath (6.61); staggering company, if you ask me. His batting has also come on over the last three seasons.
Dwayne Bravo (1483 runs and 147 wickets), Kieron Pollard (2755 runs and 56 wickets) and Chris Gayle (4484 runs inclusive of six centuries) have all proven themselves, having sculpted out distinguished IPL careers.
But I’ll be most interested to observe how the likes of Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford, Fabian Allen, Nicholas Pooran and Oshane Thomas fare during the 2020 edition of the most high-profile T20 tournament.
One can easily conclude that any imminent resurgence of the Caribbean side in the limited-overs format in the near future will largely depend on the development and maturity of those youngsters mentioned above. This year’s IPL presents the perfect litmus test to make an assessment of their growth with the ICC T20 and 50 overs World Cups looming.
Hetmyer, during his maiden IPL stint in 2019 for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) was largely disappointing. He was in and out of the team and only played five matches with an average of just 18. He did have a reprieve by scoring a solitary half-century. So, in essence, Hetmyer, who will turn out for Delhi Capitals in this year’s tournament needs to go big.
Pooran too was given little opportunities in 2019 during his maiden season. He turned out seven times for Kings XI Punjab with returns of 168 runs at a strike rate of 157. He appears to be a vital cog in the team this year based on how the combinations look and is set to be given more opportunities. He may even start ahead of Gayle.
You can’t really fault the efforts of Paul, Rutherford and Thomas during the 2019 edition since they weren’t given many opportunities as well. However, the trio should be aiming to grab hold of the chances that may come their way in the UAE especially on the heels of their lean returns in the just concluded Caribbean Premier League (CPL). Allen, on the other hand, will be looking to feature for the first time in an IPL match when the tournament gets underway.
