Onus on misfiring batsmen as Windies begin campaign
Overview
United Arab Emirates v Windies
Old Hararians Sports Club, Harare
CWCQ, Match 6
Tuesday 6 March; 09:30 local time, 07:30 GMT
A group of players hurting big time, unhappy to be playing the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018 because they believe they belong among the top sides, get their first chance to be among the 10 teams at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 when they – Windies – face United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, 6 March.
Windies were the champions in the first two editions of the World Cup, in 1975 and 1979, and made the final in 1983. But their graph has been on a downslide in more recent years. As a result, they are in the qualifying competition.
Many followers might expect them to just blow away the opposition, but the reality could be very different. Indeed, Windies were anything but dominant in their warm-up games.
In the first, against Afghanistan, a strong bowling performance led by the pacemen was followed by a dismal show with the bat as Windies, chasing 164, were bowled out for 110. Only two batsmen got starts then, Evin Lewis (36) and Marlon Samuels (34).
The batting didn’t get much better in the second game, as UAE, led by returns of 4/16 from Imran Haider, the leg-spinner, stopped them at 115 in 33.4 overs. It’s another matter that UAE’s batting faltered too, wrapping up at 83 as Nikita Miller picked up 5/20 with his left-arm spin.
Chris Gayle, the star batsman, has so far scored 9 and 16, and apart from the knocks from Lewis and Samuels in the first outing, the top score has been 20, by Shimron Hetmyer against UAE.
Those will be concerns for sure. Even more so because Windies start their campaign against the same opponents who shot them out for 115 and have since started the competition proper solidly with a 56-run win (DLS method) over Papua New Guinea.
UAE rode on a top score of 95 from Rohan Mustafa, the captain, and 50 from Ashfaq Ahmed to put up 221 before bowling out PNG for just 113 as Mohammad Naveed ran roughshod over the top order on his way to returns of 5/28, his career-best one-day international haul.
That should have given UAE a boost ahead of the big game on Tuesday at Old Hararians Sports Club, while Windies will also back their chances – after all, their batting hasn’t worked but their bowlers have been good, and they did beat UAE in the pre-tournament game despite a low total.
Windies v UAE match preview
Jason Holder's men kick off their ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018 campaign against UAE.
Key players
Rohan Mustafa (UAE): The 29-year-old UAE captain might not have the greatest numbers, but is one of the key cogs in the team’s wheel. He has the ability to give his team good starts, as he did against PNG with a 136-ball 95, and is a useful off-spinner who often provides key breakthroughs and usually keeps the opposition quiet. If the big-hitting Windies batsmen get going, Mustafa and Ahmed Raza, the left-arm spinner, will be crucial for UAE’s chances.
Chris Gayle (Windies): The big man isn’t quite the unstoppable force he once was, but every once in a while, he breaks loose to show what sort of damage he can still do. He hasn’t taken off in Zimbabwe yet, but UAE will be wary of him for sure, knowing full well that if Gayle gets going, the game could go out of their hands very quickly.
CWCQ Preview Film: West Indies
For the West Indies, this is something new. A team with an illustrious World Cup history having first lifted the trophy at the inaugural tournament in 1975 led by Clive Lloyd. The side continued to dominate the one-day format, retaining their trophy in 1979. Fast forward 40 years and the West Indies find themselves at a difficult junction. A series of surprising losses combined with well-publicised battles between players and board have left this side battling just to qualify for the tournament in which they once reigned supreme.
ConditionsIreland certainly found the conditions at Old Hararians to their liking, with three batsmen topping 40 and the pacemen picking up nine wickets without giving too much away in their opening game against the Netherlands. Windies have a strong pace attack, while Mohammad Naveed ripped the heart out of PNG’s batting on Sunday. They should all be in business, especially with the cloud cover over Harare not having disappeared yet.
Squads
United Arab Emirates: Rohan Mustafa (c), Adnan Mufti, Ahmed Raza, Amir Hayat, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Ghulam Shabber (wk), Imran Haider, Mohammad Boota, Mohammad Naveed, Muhammad Usman, Qadeer Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Zahoor Khan.
Windies: Jason Holder (c), Jason Mohammed (vc), Devendra Bishoo, Carlos Brathwaite, Sheldon Cottrell, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope (wk), Evin Lewis, Nikita Miller, Ashley Nurse, Rovman Powell, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Kesrick Williams