The expectations were very low for the West Indies ahead of the three-match T-20 International against Pakistan.

The team was embarrassed in the recent World Cup by winning just one of their five matches.

The team was put on the backfoot in the series without several first-team players, including Kieron Pollard, Evin Lewis, Shimron Hetmyer, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons, Jason Holder, Fabian Allen, and Obed McCoy.

These key players were either rested, injured, or unavailable due to personal reasons. The team faced another challenge with Covid-19 infiltrating the camp and forcing the postponement of the ODI series.

However, despite the challenges and defeat, the series gave fans some hope based on the performances of a few players.

Below are some of the positives and negatives of this series.

The Positives

Brandon King — The right-handed Jamaican opening batsman had a good return to the regional side in this series. After scoring just one run in the opening game, he showcased his talent by scoring 67 and 43 in the last two games.

In those two innings, King showed he could consolidate and put away anything loose to the boundary. He dispatched a combined 13 fours and 5 sixes while finishing the series with a strike rate of 168.18. According to cricinfo.com, King scored the second-most runs in the series with 111.

King’s play would have the selectors salivating at the idea of pairing him with Evin Lewis forming an ideal right and left-hand opening pair.

Romario Shepherd — The Guyanese all-rounder turned in a near-match-winning performance in game 2 of the series.

He entered the game with his team struggling at 115-8 and needing 58 from 28 balls to win the game. Shepherd showcased his power-hitting ability to bring his team back into the contest.

He scored 35 runs not out from 19 balls in the tense affair, including 2 fours and 2 sixes. The team lost the game by nine runs, but Shepherd did his very best to grab a win that ultimately failed.

Akeal Hosein — The spinner only played two games and only captured two wickets in the series. However, Akeal was the most economical bowler in the series conceding just 35 runs in 8 overs at an economical rate of 4.37.

Hosein showed the ability to contain the Pakistani batsmen, and it was important for the team because the bowling was getting battered at the other end. Hosein proved to the selectors that he should be a squad player in future series.

The Negatives

Oshane Thomas — In my mind, Oshane has regressed in his development. He still has a decent pace but is far too inconsistent in his length and line, and international batsmen will make you pay if you consistently fail to get the ball in the right areas.

He finished the three-match series without bowling his full complement of 4 overs in a game, only picking up two wickets and an economical rate of 10.88.

Oshane needs to work on his mechanics and delivery to keep his place in the squad.

Dominic Drakes — Drakes has enjoyed a tremendous 2021 in T-20 cricket after a successful CPL and stint in the Abu Dabhi T-10.

He made his debut in this series, and it was not a good start with both bat and ball. In his two-batting innings, he scored a total of 5.

He appeared tentative and failed to last very long at the crease. He did not fare much better with the ball in his hand.

He picked up only two wickets, conceded 114 runs from his 11 overs at an economical rate of 10.36. The sample size is small, and I believe he should be considered for the next series to see his abilities at the international level.

Rovman Powell — Rovman failed to impress in his return to the West Indies setup. He scored only 33 runs in the three games, including a high of 23 in the first game.

In the third game, he arrived at the crease to finish the innings with a flourish but instead buckled to score only 6 runs from 6 balls.

It was an important passage to end the innings because the Windies could have scored 230 runs which would be difficult for the Pakistanis to chase.

Yes, this short series would have been eye-opening for the selectors to reward some young players for their performances while it highlighted the need for the others to lift their play to stake a place in the team.

Readers Bureau, Contributor

Edited by Jesus Chan

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