Manchester: Their campaign deflated after early promise, the West Indies face a do-or-die battle against a confident-looking New Zealand in a crucial World Cup tie here Saturday. If they Windies lose their ICC World Cup campaign is more or less over.
The Windies started their World Cup campaign with a bang, demolishing Pakistan by seven wickets. But since then, things have gone from bad to worse for the Caribbeans and they have suffered three defeats (against Australia, England and Bangladesh) while the game against South Africa was washed out. Their loss against Bangladesh in spite of putting up a 300-plus total on board has really deflated their campaign.
Barring Chris Gayle, the West Indies’ batting has clicked but the performance of their bowlers would be a major cause of concern for skipper Jason Holder. Also the unfit Gayle and Andre Russell have let down the side on a number of occasions
The West Indian bowlers have looked ordinary and leaked runs against most Bangladesh. The likes of Sheldon Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel and Oshane Thomas need to pull up their socks before it is too late.
The Kiwis, on the other hand, are sitting pretty on the second spot with nine points, which includes four wins out of five games with the match against India being washed out.
The way the New Zealand won their game against South Africa on a difficult pitch will certainly have boosted their confidence manifold. Skipper Kane Williamson got a match-winning unbeaten century to guide New Zealand home in a tense final over finish while chasing a modest 242-run target. Also players like Colin de Grandhomme, Trent Boult and a few others have come to the party whenever the occasion demanded.
But with tough matches in the offing, Williamson would look for bigger contributions from the likes of Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Ross Taylor and Tom Latham.
PTI
