There it is cricket has returned after the long break when the whole cricketing world has been affected by a pandemic known as “Covid-19”. With the end of the 13th edition of the cash-rich league, the various international cricket boards have agreed to play the international among the best teams in the world. From India to Australia; South Africa to England; New Zealand to West Indies all the teams have lock horns to play against each other in respective series by the end of November 2020.
West Indies will play 3 T20Is and 2 Tests on the tour to New Zealand. Before the test series, West Indies will play three 4-day practice matches in New Zealand. However, the first T20 game between New Zealand and West Indies was reduced to 16-16 overs per side due to rain interrupted the play. West Indies post the fighting total after the early breakthroughs provided by Lockie Ferguson and Tim Southee.
For West Indies, Kieron pollard played the match-turning knock of 37-ball 75 which featured 4 fours and 8 Sixes. But Devon Conway (41), James Neesham (48), and Mitchell Santner 31* took away the game from tourists with the handy knocks after the hiccups at one stage. Let us see if West Indies can bounce back from here in the second game to keep the series alive. Having said, let us take a look at three players who flopped in the first match of the series.
Shimron Hetmyer
The question will raise now over the player like Shimron Hetmyer who went back without scoring runs before getting out on Lockie Ferguson ball and after West Indies have lost the first match of the series. Although West Indies have set the fighting score of 180 runs still they couldn’t have managed to restrict the opposition at a low score after the absurd bowling from their bowlers. West Indies don’t have the quality pacers in the team or even in the bench to defend any total in case they have to come with a strategy to score big runs or try to bat second without having experience batsman apart from Pollard and Hetymer.
The scoreboard could’ve been 200 plus easily for West Indies if Shimron Hetmyer has scored runs in the first game of the series. Although Pollard had taken the bail of the team to put them back into the game. West Indies have only batting to rely on in the series with Pollard and Hetmyer around whom their batting revolves. Hope West Indies will come with some strategy in the next game for a better brand of cricket.
Sheldon Cottrell
If there is one bowler in the West Indies bowling unit who can be a match-winner for the team it is none other than Sheldon Cottrell with some experience apart from other bowlers in the lot. There is too much dependence on Cottrell in the series how he will perform to provide much-needed help to his team. While in the first Cottrell was not much effective in his 4 overs spell where he took one wicket (Martin Guptill) with 30 runs.
After the good total on the board, it was expected from Cottrell to provide early breakthroughs to West Indies and he was somewhere successful too with the wicket of Martin Guptill on the fourth ball of the New Zealand inning. But after this, he was ineffective in the match, and even in the second spell, he was unable to provide any help to West Indies before they lost the match by 5 wickets.
Tim Southee
Although New Zealand won the game easily there were signs of warning from their frontline bowler who was little economical in his spell. Tim Southee got two wickets in his 3 overs spell and couldn’t bowl his final over. However, Lockie Ferguson got 5 wickets for 21 runs in his 4 overs to restrict the opposition from going for a high score. Apart from Ferguson, no other bowlers were effective for the New Zealand team.
New Zealand has to keep their frontline bowlers like Tim Southee and Mitchell Santner to provide early breakthroughs apart from the part-timers to rely on in the series. Into the 30s Tim Southee will definitely look to end his cricketing career days on a high note in every series.
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