After almost two weeks, the red ball team of the West Indies will be returning to action. However, their performance on the recent tour of England wasn’t really worth remembering, at least for them and their fans, but totally a different case for Ben Stokes’ England. Now, as things stand for the men in maroon, they are currently at the bottom of the points table of the World Test Championship 2023-2025. Having lost five out of the seven matches, the West Indies currently have 16 points with one draw and a win. With three more series and a total of six more games to go, including the upcoming series against South Africa, the hopes or the chances for the top two spots are almost gone, and it is highly unlikely that they make the finals of the ongoing World Test Championship from this stage. But, still not impossible, winning all six of their next games could put them in a pretty good position and who knows, one or two more results in their favor and boom, they might actually make it to the finals. Hold your horses, all the West Indian fans, because the opposition for their next six do-or-die games are South Africa, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. So, it will definitely not be an easy feat to pull off, with the exception of Bangladesh, which is a relatively easier challenge as they play them at home. But the South Africa and Pakistan challenge is as tough as it gets. So, hop on as we dive into the details and take a nuanced look at what changes West Indies need to make to yield better results in the WI vs SA series.
The Pressure of the Expectations?
Now, if we rewind back to the starting month of 2024, when West Indies took on Australia in the away conditions, which is one of the most difficult places to go and win or even compete as far as the longest format is concerned, a young boy hailing from Guyana, did what nobody could do in years or even in decades, he injected life into the West Indian team, he reminded everyone of those glorious days when West Indies used to boss the cricketing world, and most important he gave hope to everyone and everyone started to believe that West Indies have finally entered a new phase.
But the men in maroon crumbled under the burden of all that hope and expectations after the heroics in Gaba, as they failed to even give any challenge to England in the recently concluded three-match series. In fact, they played like a bunch of club cricketers with the exception of a few. Playing their first series since leveling it in Australia earlier this year, they were not only bamboozled but were toyed by the hosts on all the 10 days that the cricket was played. Now, before moving onto the right strategies for the upcoming WI vs SA series, let’s understand where it actually went wrong for West Indies in their recent tour. As I started to analyze their performance, one thing that stood out for me, was that lack of winning attitude that they had on their tour of Australia. Another major component missing was proper batters at the top of the order who possess the tenacity and ability to take their innings deep and possess that much-needed stamina and brains for this format. In the bowling, they have to get much more consistent with their line and lengths and need to find a spinner who provides balance to the team. So, mindset, right players at the top of the order, and balance and stability in the bowling order were the major reasons behind the tourists’ disappointing run in the series.
Right Strategies Going into the WI vs SA Series
Now, the Caribbean is always a place which gives the opposition a fair chance at winning the game, and that really makes it a good place for competitive cricket. So, with the right strategies, winning the series is definitely doable. But, what actually gives the opposition a chance is the unpredictability of surfaces on some of the grounds. Unpredictability and the West Indies, they go together pretty okay, right? Now what should be the strategies of the home side on this tour? First of all, they should be much more relaxed and play freely with the bat especially at the top. Batters should not be afraid of losing their wicket, instead should go for maximum runs here and they will have to get out of their shells if they want to thrive in these conditions against an opposition as good as South Africa. Now, for the bowling, you are only winning the test if you take all 20 wickets of the opposition and these conditions really assist pacers, which West Indies will fancy. With the type of firepower they possess in terms of the pacers, they should trouble the South African batters and only then we can expect West Indies to put on a show and they can do that by simply hitting the right lines and lengths. Another major part that West Indies have to take care of is fielding, which has let them down on numerous occasions and you have to grab every opportunity that comes your way if you are to compete at the highest level.
The two-match WI vs SA series begins on the 7th of August with the hosts taking on the visitors at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad and Tobago for the first test. The second test is scheduled to start on the 15th of August and will take place at the Providence Stadium in Georgetown, Guyana.
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