The T20 World Cup season is here and how can its mention be complete without talking about the two-time champions, West Indies? Whenever you look at the intricacies of the shortest format, you realise T20s were almost made for the Windies to thrive and shine.
Over the last decade and more, T20s have witnessed several stars emerging from the Caribbean nation. Be it Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, each one of them made the format their own and the world their oyster.
Yet, as the tenth edition of the World Cup gets underway, the Windies are barely part of the conversation. Twice champions in 2012 and 2016, West Indies have quietly flown under the radar – but write them off at your own peril. For starters, they are coached by Daren Sammy, the man who led the side to both their T20 World Cup triumphs.
The West Indies boast formidable firepower in their batting, but one can’t help wondering how much stronger they might have been had Nicholas Pooran still been playing international cricket. The 29-year-old announced his retirement in June 2025 and will miss the tournament, with West Indies set to open their campaign against Scotland at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Saturday, February 7.
Pooran remains one of the most destructive batters across overseas leagues, including the Indian Premier League (IPL), and it comes as no surprise that former West Indies pacer Ian Bishop believes the team will desperately miss his services.
“Any player of Pooran’s quality will be missed. There is no doubt about that. But as we’re seeing not only with the West Indies, but with a number of teams around the world, it is next player up. What the West Indies have is a high boundary-hitting team with great depth, with guys like Romario Sheppard coming down the back end. There’ll be no Pooran, there’ll be no Andre Russell, for example,” said ICC expert Ian Bishop while replying to a Hindustan Times query at a JioStar Media Day.
“So I would expect the West Indies, I expect them to give a good account of themselves. How deep they go in the tournament is hard to predict because of this,” he added.
‘Bowling would be key’
Earlier, West Indies’ path to the Super 8s looked tricky, having been drawn in Group C alongside Bangladesh, England, Nepal and Italy. However, Bangladesh’s last-minute replacement by Scotland has eased the challenge, and the Windies should progress if they play to their potential. That said, in the slam-bang nature of T20 cricket, nothing is ever guaranteed. Bishop, one of the finest broadcasters of his generation, believes the West Indies’ prospects in the tournament will hinge largely on how effectively they conduct their business with the ball.
“I mentioned bowling as, to me, one of the defining factors in this group. Because you look at England and New Zealand, they all have power hitters as well. So I think the team that has the greatest bowling depth in addition to their batting could be the one that wins the World Cup,” said Bishop.
“And the West Indies on that front have not yet developed that group of potent bowlers that they have been hoping to by this stage. So let’s keep an eye on that. Not necessarily how the West Indies go with the batting. I think they’ll be okay even without Pooran. But where does the bowling hurry?” he added.
West Indies squad for the T20 World Cup: Shai Hope (captain), Shimron Hetmyer, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd.