The T20 World Cup is being jointly hosted by two nations, with the West Indies considered the more likely home team to succeed. The United States are making their debut in this tournament, while the West Indies have a rich history in international cricket. However, they failed to qualify for last year’s 50-over World Cup held in India, so they have plenty to prove.
Just before their World Cup opener against Papua New Guinea in Guyana, the Windies scored 257 in a victory over Australia in their final warm-up match. This has set them as a team to watch in the tournament. They began the game strongly with two wickets inside 13 balls but allowed PNG to recover with some sloppy fielding and unaggressive bowling.
Despite losing opener Charles early on, the Windies were able to secure a victory thanks to partnerships between Powell and King and later Chase and Russell. However, they know they will need to step up their game if they want to take on tougher opponents like New Zealand and Afghanistan.
Captain Rovman Powell expressed that there is an expectation on the team to perform well in this tournament. He admitted that they were not at their best during their opening match against PNG and that they were only at 60% of their potential. The West Indies hope to become the first team ever to win the T20 World Cup as a home nation but will need to improve their performance if they want any chance of making it through the Super 8s round.
