T20 World Cup: Can ageing warriors bring Windies back into contest? | Cricket News

Perhaps still left shell-shocked after collapsing to an embarrassing 55 against England in their opener, the West Indies will hope to put their campaign back on track when the defending champions take on South Africa, who themselves haven’t enjoyed the best of starts, having lost to Australia.
TOI takes a look at the talking points of this potentially exciting clash in Dubai…
THE GAYLE FACTOR
When these two teams met for the first time in a T20 World Cup in Johannesburg in 2007, Chris Gayle blasted a 57-ball 117. However, that was 14 years ago. In 2021, the ‘Universe boss’, at 42, is now an ageing warrior whose inclusion in the West Indies team for this tournament has been openly questioned by Curtly Ambrose.
Coming into this event, Gayle managed to score just 165 runs in nine games@18.33 in the Caribbean Premier League, and was out for 14 & 1 in the IPL. Gayle now looks a pale shadow of himself. It won’t be easy against South African fast bowling pair of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje.
DAD’S ARMY
There’s a bigger question that the West Indies are confronted with here. Is it the end of the road for the Caribbean cricket’s ‘golden generation,’ which includes Gayle, and star allrounders Dwayne Bravo and Andre Russell, who’s just coming off an injury?
DROP POORAN FOR FLETCHER?
Their shocking collapse against England may have left the West Indies in a quandary. They looked to hit the bowlers out of the park, only to end up in self-destruction. Will they come back with a fresh batting plan? It was the same fearless approach, which helped them clinch the T20 World Cup in 2012 and ’16. Perhaps, they might look to include keeper-bat Andre Fletcher, and drop the out of form Nicholas Pooran, who had put together just 85 runs in 12 games@7.72 for the Punjab Kings in the IPL, and was out for just one in the WC opener. They have the option of replacing Lendl Simmons, who struggles on low, slow pitches, and bring in Roston Chase.

LACKLUSTRE BOWLING
The plight of West Indies’ bowling can be gauged by the fact that their attack is being led by a 37-year-old pacer Ravi Rampaul. It’s clear that the West Indian bowling is badly missing the guile of mystery spinner Sunil Narine.
SA’S BOWLING ATTACK TO DIE FOR
In pace merchants Rabada, Nortje, world No. 1 T20I bowler chinaman Tabraiz Shamsi and left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj, SA have arguably the best bowling attack in the competition.
TIME FOR DE KOCK TO FIRE
For the past two years, Quinton de Kock has been batting like a dream for South Africa and the Mumbai Indians. The Proteas would desperately hope that the ‘keeper-bat gets going.