With four rounds of competition for a possible total of nine matches to win it all, the pressing question now is not whether West Indies will triumph in T20 World Cup 2024, rather it is all about the squad’s final 11 composition, beginning with the opening encounter against Papua New Guinea today.
As it is the Regional side doesn’t have an embarrassment of riches to choose from but the competition for places is as close as it will ever get. The blow- out series sweep victory over South Africa and the hammering of Australia in preparation games, will make West Indies slight favorites to top Group C, at the expense of New Zealand and Afghanistan to reach the Super 8 stage, and it makes the selectors’ job far from a walk-in-the-park exercise.
For the first two match-ups against minnows Papua New Guinea and Uganda, Chief Selector Desmond Haynes and Coach Darren Sammy can literally pull names from a bag of the 15-man squad and come up with winning lineups.
But the other two clashes with the stronger New Zealand and Afghanistan opposition will require much pondering to determine who makes the final cut. And it is incumbent the selectors use current form of the players as their main yardstick and resist too much use of analytics. Our players named in the 15-man squad are the best available in the region and would do their best against any opposition in whatever conditions presented.