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West Indies made a winning start to the 2023 Cricket World Cup Qualifier campaign by defeating the USA by 39 runs. Their impressive performance once again demonstrated why they are the first to qualify for the World Cup later this year.
It was somewhat disappointing that the West Indies were unable to qualify directly for the World Cup. However, there has been some transition in the squad as they look to build on it and stand among the top teams again.
On that note, let’s look at three reasons why West Indies are still favorites to qualify for the ODI World Cup in India later this year:
#3 Great depth in quality
The men from the Caribbean have a number of players in their squad who, on their day, could single-handedly win the game for the team. The likes of Nicholas Poran, Roffman Powell, Jason Holder, etc. have the ability to win matches, the latter also winning the Man of the Match title against the USA.
They also have some quality options in the bowling department with young Zari Joseph growing from strength to strength with each game. Having a number of all-rounders gives the Windies depth in the batting department and also captain Shay Hope a number of bowling options to work with.
#2 There is no substitute for experience
While most teams may have a few players who can perform under pressure, the West Indies seem to have them in abundance. There is a great mix of youth and experience and this could be the way to go for them when they are faced with a stressful situation.
Pooran and Holder had played enough cricket to understand how to adapt their game to the situation. Both have captained the team before assists current captain Shay Hope with a strong leadership group in place alongside Roffman Powell, the current T20I captain.
#1 West Indies had a similar situation in 2019
Arguably the biggest positive point for the West Indies is that they also played the 2019 World Cup Qualifiers, that too in Zimbabwe itself. This means that some of them who were part of the previous campaign may have found it a little easier to get used to the conditions.
Being in this position before would have given them a sense of confidence that they could go out again, express themselves and get the necessary points on the board to qualify for the World Cup.
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