West Indies Cricket

The West Indies’ batsmen have been playing something of a dangerous game during the World Twenty20 so far.

Despite the destructive hitters at the top of their order, they have instead been painfully slow in scoring in the opening 15 overs of their innings.

Then, in the final five overs, all hell has broken loose and they have managed to stack up enough runs to put themselves in a winning position.

But could they not just get on with it a bit sooner, especially as this strategy could come unstuck in the tournament’s final stages?

In each of their matches in this year’s World T20, the West Indians have never scored more than 61 in the Powerplay overs, a mark they reached against Australia in the Super 10.

Against India, they scored just 24 in the opening six overs, while earlier today against Pakistan they were 39-2 at the end of the Powerplay.

This curious strategy then continued for another 10 overs, as the West Indian top order seem content to try and build a platform rather than go for all-out aggression.

Their run rate therefore never gets much above six or seven per over—sometimes staying lower than that—before the final five overs.

Then, in the closing stages, led by Dwayne Bravo and captain Darren Sammy, they unfurl a wide array of shots, take the attack to the opposition bowlers and manage to reach a high total.

This does place those two in particular, and their colleagues in the lower order, under a tremendous amount of pressure, but looking at those above them it does not have to be that way.

Openers Chris Gayle and Dwayne Smith have both shown themselves to be enormously capable of explosive starts with the bat, especially against the new ball.

Both are known all over the world (Gayle in particular) for having the ability to carve bowling attacks all over the ground and help build enormous totals.

Below them come Lendl Simmons and Marlon Samuels, two enormously talented players in T20 cricket who have enormous experience in the format.

In all, it is a formidable top four for bowlers to contend with, and you would think that they would be more than capable of opening their shoulders and hitting boundaries almost immediately.

Their current strategy is definitely one that could go wrong at any time, especially in the semi-final against Sri Lanka and their well-rounded bowling attack.

It seems unimaginable, but the top order could leave the lower order with far too much to do in the closing stages, something that would be incredibly difficult against Lasith Malinga in particular.

His toe-crushing yorkers and consistent bowling at the death could then strangle any potential counter-attack from the West Indies and leave them well short of a winning total.

We also saw against India how this strategy can fall down, as the Indians were able to strangle any hopes of a revival and keep their opponents to an infinitely reachable 129-7 from their 20 overs.

With all that said, however, this strategy may pay dividends for the defending champions, even against some of the finest bowlers in the world.

It worked well against Australia, as the West Indies chased 179 to win and did so after being set a solid if unspectacular platform by the top order.

The Australians may not be much of a force in T20 cricket, but with a bowling attack that included Mitchell Starc, Glenn Maxwell and James Faulkner, Sammy and Bravo’s achievement is not to be sneezed at.

Cricket is constantly evolving, and the West Indies’ current strategy may well carry them into the final and even to a possible defence of their title.

Only time will tell, but given the resources at their disposal, it could prove to be incredibly risky and may cost them further progression in this year’s tournament.

West Indies crushed Pakistan by 84 runs in Dhaka to reach the semi-finals of the World Twenty20 tournament.

Defending champions West Indies, who won the toss and elected to bat, made 166-6 in their 20 overs at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.

Pakistan could only muster 82 in their reply as the men in maroon secured second place in Group 2.

The match was a straight shootout to see who would finish runners-up behind India, but the Caribbean side lost both its dangerous openers inside four overs.

Chris Gayle was stumped off Mohammad Hafeez for five, and Dwayne Smith was caught behind off left-arm seamer Sohail Tanvir for eight.

WI lost two wickets in the 11th over as Lendl Simmons was run out for 31, and three balls later, Marlon Samuels chopped on Shahid Afridi for 20.

Denesh Ramdin went cheaply, but Dwayne Bravo hit Umar Gul for 21 in the 18th over. Then, captain Darren Sammy got in on the act as Saeed Ajmal went for 24 in the penultimate over.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNW_oo7pM3k

Bravo went for 46, made off 26 balls, in the final over, but Sammy added 14 more runs to finish unbeaten on 42 from just 20 deliveries.

			Runs	Minutes	Balls
Dwayne Smith	c K Akmal	b Tanvir	8	17	13
Gayle	st K Akmal	b Hafeez	5	9	4
Simmons	run out (Gul)		31	36	29
Samuels		b Shahid Afridi	20	28	18
Dwayne Bravo	run out (K Akmal)		46	36	26
Ramdin	c U Akmal	b Zulfiqar Babar	5	10	10
Sammy	not out		42	28	20
Russell	not out		0	3	0
Extras		0nb 5w 0b 4lb	9
Bowler		Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
Hafeez		2	0	15	1
Tanvir		4	0	27	1
Zulfiqar Babar		4	0	27	1
Shahid Afridi		4	0	23	1
Gul		2	0	29	0
Ajmal		4	0	41	0

Pakistan's reply started in the worst possible fashion as Ahmed Shehzad, a centurion against Bangladesh, was trapped leg before wicket from the first ball of the innings by Krishmar Santokie.

Leg-spinner Samuel Badree then ran through the top order to finish with 3-10 from his four overs. Kamran Akmal, his brother Umar Akmal and Shoaib Malik were all back in the hutch before the end of the sixth over as Pakistan stuttered to 13-4.

Skipper Mohammad Hafeez departed for 19 before Sohaib Maqsood became Ramdin's third stumping, this time off Sunil Narine, for 18.

In the 15th over, Narine had Tanvir caught in the deep for 14 before Afridi became Ramdin's fourth stumping victim after making 18.

Andre Russell and Santokie then took their second wicket apiece as Pakistan were dismissed in just 17.5 overs.

			Runs	Minutes	Balls
Shehzad	lbw	b Santokie	0		1
K Akmal	c Dwayne Bravo	b Badree	0	7	3
Hafeez	c Gayle	b Russell	19	42	32
U Akmal	st Ramdin	b Badree	1	10	5
Shoaib Malik	st Ramdin	b Badree	2	4	6
Maqsood	st Ramdin	b Narine	18	23	22
Shahid Afridi	st Ramdin	b Narine	18	20	12
Tanvir	c Sammy	b Narine	14	13	12
Gul	c Simmons	b Santokie	4	11	7
Ajmal		b Russell	1	3	3
Zulfiqar Babar	not out		3	4	4
Extras		0nb 2w 0b 0lb	2
Bowler		Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
Santokie		2.5	0	9	2
Badree		4	0	10	3
Samuels		3	0	21	0
Russell		3	0	15	2
Narine		4	0	16	3
Dwayne Smith		1	0	11	0

West Indies will play Sri Lanka on Thursday for a place in the World T20 final.

Darren Sammy led West Indies to a six-wicket victory over Australia in the World Twenty20 tournament in Mirpur.

Australia, who won the toss and chose to bat, made 178-8 in their 20 overs at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.

However the defending champions reached their target with two balls to spare as Sammy blasted 34 from 13 balls.

West Indies now have two wins from three matches in Group 2 and are in a strong position to reach the semis, while Australia are teetering on the brink of elimination after their second successive defeat.

The Baggy Greens signalled their attacking intent from the start with openers Aaron Finch and David Warner putting on 33 for the opening wicket in just 22 balls.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uSk-3TW5yc

However Finch, Warner plus Shane Watson and George Bailey had all departed before the halfway point of the innings.

			Runs	Minutes	Balls
Finch		b Samuels	16	15	11
Warner		b Badree	20	22	14
Watson	st Ramdin	b Narine	2	10	8
Maxwell	c Dwayne Bravo	b Badree	45	29	22
Bailey	c Sammy	b Samuels	12	14	12
Hodge		b Narine	35	38	26
Faulkner	c Dwayne Bravo	b Santokie	13	31	17
Haddin	not out		15	15	7
Starc	c Russell	b Dwayne Bravo	4	8	4
Muirhead	not out		1	2	1
Extras		6nb 7w 2b 0lb	15
Bowler		Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
Santokie		4	0	30	1
Badree		4	0	37	2
Samuels		2	0	20	2
Narine		4	1	19	2
Sammy		1	0	16	0
Dwayne Bravo		4	0	39	1
Russell		1	0	15	0

Glenn Maxwell was his typical destructive self, smashing three sixes in 45 from 22 balls, but he went in the 12th over with the score on 100.

Brad Hodge kept the scoreboard moving, with 35 from 26, and Brad Haddin made a late flurry with 15 from seven balls after a remarkable catch from Dwayne Bravo accounted for James Faulkner.

In their reply, West Indies openers Chris Gayle and Dwayne Smith blasted 50 from the opening five overs before the latter was caught behind off Mitchell Starc for 17.

Gayle brought up his half-century off 31 balls but he picked out Maxwell off leg-spinner James Muirhead for 53.

Maxwell then caught Lendl Simmons (26) off Doug Bollinger to leave the men from the Caribbean needing 72 off the final six overs.

Marlon Samuels went cheaply, but Bravo made 27 from 12 balls before Sammy hit Mitchell Starc's penultimate over of the innings for 19 and then back-to-back sixes off Faulkner clinched the victory.

			Runs	Minutes	Balls
Dwayne Smith	c Haddin	b Starc	17	21	19
Gayle	c Maxwell	b Muirhead	53	53	35
Simmons	c Maxwell	b Bollinger	26	39	24
Samuels	c Haddin	b Starc	12	20	15
Dwayne Bravo	not out		27	29	12
Sammy	not out		34	16	13
Extras		0nb 2w 0b 8lb	10
Bowler		Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
Watson		2	1	11	0
Starc		4	0	50	2
Bollinger		4	0	34	1
Maxwell		3	0	28	0
Faulkner		3.4	0	27	0
Muirhead		3	0	21	1

Australia next face India on Sunday, with West Indies concluding their campaign against Pakistan on Tuesday.

Chris Gayle is regarded as one of the most destructive and powerful opening batsmen in all of world cricket, but against Bangladesh he was surprisingly sluggish at the top of the order.

In the West Indies’ 73-run win over the hosts in the World T20, it took Gayle 46 balls to take his strike rate above 100—a run a ball—and he was out two balls later for a final score of 48 from 48 deliveries.

This innings took him 74 minutes and included just three fours and two sixes, and he was dismissed in the 19th over with his side 151-3, thanks in large part to 72 from opening partner Dwayne Smith.

It was fortunate for the defending champions that they were facing Bangladesh, whose poor fielding allowed them to reach 171-7 and then fold for 98 all out with the bat.

Gayle’s innings was a curious one and far different from the aggression that has seen him hit 11 T20 centuries in his career, including one for West Indies against South Africa in 2007.

Instead, today he faced 21 dot balls and rotated the strike for singles on just 20 occasions, also hitting a couple of twos in what was a stodgy display of batting.

It is the kind of scoring that we are not used to seeing from Gayle, and it is surely a strategy that would have looked incredibly selfish and foolish against other opposition.

Indeed, he played similarly against India at the top of the order to make 34 from 33 balls, departing in the 13th over with his team struggling to accelerate.

The West Indians then finished at a below-par 129-7 and were helpless to prevent India taking a win by seven wickets.

That game against India showed how the West Indies’ batting strategy can come unstuck and leave them well short of a winning total.

It was only due to the hitting of Dwayne Smith and a late cameo from captain Darren Sammy that they overcame Bangladesh, and it is telling that the third-highest scorer was the extras column.

Coming up for the West Indians are Australia and Pakistan, two good T20 teams who will hope they do not falter as badly as Bangladesh did against the current world champions.

This strategy of Gayle’s—where he tries to play himself in but then finds himself stymied and unable to help his team build a big score—looks like one that is destined for failure against the top teams.

The fact that he did not even rotate the strike against Bangladesh was an enormous worry and forced the West Indies to eat up deliveries at such a rate that they cannot afford to do with only 20 overs at their disposal.

With two games left in the Super 10 stage, Gayle has to live up to his reputation in this form of the game or else his team will limp away from the tournament having failed to defend their trophy effectively.

The 2014 World Twenty20 wasn't supposed to start like this for the defending champion West Indies. Embarrassed by an India squad coming off a disappointing outing at the 2014 Asia Cup, the seven-wicket loss puts qualification for the Super 10 knockout stage at serious risk.

India's great weakness was supposed to be their bowling. And while the Men in Blue looked convincing in their opener against Pakistan, the Indian group of bowlers didn't look particularly daunting.

When MS Dhoni won the toss and elected to field first, the Windies should have come out firing. And they should have scored a lot more than the eventual 129 runs the team ended up with.

Faced with such a low number, the chase never looked particularly difficult for India, who finished the job with five batsmen, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma each picking up a half-century.

The West Indies bowlers certainly didn't look good facing the Indian batsmen, but backed by a mere 129, the task was always going to be near impossible.

Simply put, the offensive output was embarrassing. This particular fan best described how the team looked in its first WT20 outing:

Only one batsman showed up Sunday, and that was Chris Gayle. The veteran contributed 34 runs, and as Gabbbar Singh points out, as soon as he was lost, the team crumbled:

When it was announced that ace hitter Kieron Pollard would be missing this year's T20 because of a knee injury, as reported by Reuters (via The Indian Express), everyone knew it spelled trouble for the Windies. Replacing a top offensive weapon is hard for any team, but injuries happen all the time.

West Indies had depth. West Indies were consistent. That was the tale we kept hearing, and the group would be explosive enough to cope with the loss of Pollard:

A measly 129 runs later, it's safe to say that statement was wrong. The defending champions didn't just lose; they got hammered by a group of spin bowlers who were being made fun of a week ago.

Credit the Men in Blue: Their bowlers took care of business and looked very strong in the rout. And with the way the team is playing, it is very likely India would have beaten West Indies even if Pollard had been there. But not like this. Not with the Windies embarrassing themselves in their opener.

Muddassir Hussain asked the question currently on every fan's lips:

For CANOC Broadcasting, it's not so much a question as it is a simple fact:

Pollard has one of the biggest bats in all of cricket. The all-rounder brings confidence, even swagger to the Windies squad, and the entire batting order is built around him. One massive hit from Pollard can change the entire complexion of a match, often to the benefit of the Windies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdMZcHPPOeM

Without Pollard, West Indies rely on Gayle and Gayle alone. That simply won't cut it at this level, as we witnessed firsthand.

The Windies might rediscover their bowling form before their next bout with hosts Bangladesh Tuesday. Other batsmen might step up, and the team still has the overall quality to secure qualification from a difficult group that was blown wide open when Pakistan defeated Australia by 16 runs.

But without Pollard in the squad, this simply isn't the same team, and repeating as champions seems almost impossible.

After their win by seven wickets over England in a World T20 warm-up game on Tuesday, the West Indies have now lost just one of their last four games and seem to have a number of key players finding form at the right time.

Champions of the last World T20 in 2012, the West Indians had been on a poor run ahead of their home series against England but now seem to be gaining some momentum.

They may not be favourites for the title, especially given their recent inconsistency across all forms of the game, but a look through their squad shows it could be an exciting time for them.

A the top of their batting order, Chris Gayle looks like he is coming into form at the right time with an unbeaten 58 from 38 balls.

He remains one of the most destructive T20 batsmen in the world, with the ability to turn a match almost single-handedly and destroy any bowling attack on any kind of wicket.

Alongside him, Dwayne Smith gave another promising performance with 36 from 30 balls, with the pair putting on 78 for the first wicket in just 8.3 overs.

Below them, Marlon Samuels remains a very effective operator in the middle order, while Lendl Simmons, Andre Russell and Denesh Ramdin have all had their moments in recent times.

If one or two of those individuals can hit form and showcase their superb batting skills, the West Indians will be confident they can build a heavy total against any opposition.

Below them, Darren Sammy and Dwayne Bravo are a pair of all-rounders who can provide acceleration at the end of an innings, especially against a tiring bowling attack.

Their batting, therefore, looks pretty formidable in the shortest form of the game, and their bowling could well be very effective indeed on the slow wickets of Bangladesh.

Krishmar Santokie has come out of the international wilderness and looks like he could be a very good new ball operator with his left-arm medium pace.

Furthermore, Bravo, Sammy, Russell and Simmons have all shown the ability to restrict the opposition’s batsmen with their canny use of cutters and slower balls, showing how useful their participation in domestic T20 leagues around the world has been for their development.

Finally, the West Indians are blessed with a number of high-quality spinners who will play a critical role on spin-friendly wickets.

Sunil Narine has shown that he is a very effective bowler in limited-overs cricket with his variations of pace and turn.

He is the top-ranked T20 bowler in the world, and with 30 wickets in 24 games he definitely will play a dominant role for the West Indians.

Alongside him, Samuel Badree showed the ability to bowl spin with the new ball, something that can be hard to master.

Combined with the testing off-spinners of Samuels, the West Indies have a variety of slower bowlers that they will be able to call upon during 20 overs in the field.

Their Super 10 group looks incredibly tough, with the Caribbean side joined by India, Pakistan, Australia and the winners of Group A in the first round—likely Bangladesh.

However, given the balance of their side and the amount of batting and bowling options available to captain Darren Sammy, perhaps the West Indians could spring a surprise and make an impact.

It will be a difficult tournament that will require a number of players to hit form, but with all their resources, the West Indians could be a force to be reckoned with.

West Indies beat England by 15 runs in the opening match of the one-day international series in Antigua.

The hosts recovered from a precarious position at 45-4 to make 269-6 in their 50 overs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sGQyHaKKXg

In their reply, England looked in a strong position as debutant opener Michael Lumb scored a century, but a middle order collapse saw them finish on 254-6.

Captain Dwayne Bravo—with an unbeaten 87—rescued the hosts alongside Lendl Simmons (65) and Darren Sammy (61), after the men from the Caribbean lost their top four in 16 overs.

			Runs	Minutes	Balls
Smith	c Buttler	b Tredwell	24	41	32
K Powell	c Jordan	b Root	5	22	14
K Edwards		b Bresnan	10	22	22
Darren Bravo	lbw	b Moeen	2	19	12
Simmons	c Moeen	b Bresnan	65	117	94
Dwayne Bravo	not out		87	152	91
Sammy	c Broad	b Bresnan	61	51	36
Extras		1nb 10w 0b 4lb	15
Bowler		Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
Root		9	2	47	1
Broad		6	1	35	0
Bresnan		10	1	68	3
Tredwell		10	1	23	1
Moeen		6	1	25	1
Jordan		9	2	67	0

The tourists took the unusual step of opening the bowling with the part-time spin of Joe Root, and he dismissed Kieran Powell for five. Meanwhile, more experienced slow-bowler James Treadwell removed Dwayne Smith, as he conceded just 23 from his 10 overs.

However Simmons and Bravo put on 108 for the fourth wicket before Test captain Sammy blasted four sixes in his 36-ball innings, sharing a 116-run partnership with ODI skipper Bravo.

Bravo's total came from just 91 balls as West Indies scored 157 in their last 15 overs including 85 off the last five.

England's reply started strongly with debutants Lumb and Moeen Ali—opening the order as replacements for Alastair Cook and Ian Bell—putting on 96 for the first wicket.

Ali went for 44 and Luke Wright followed soon after, but Lumb and Root put on 74 for the third wicket and the visitors were in control on 180-2 in the 37th over.

Nottinghamshire's Lumb had brought up his ton off 109 balls before slapping Ravi Rampaul to cover (after making 106), and that prompted a collapse.

Ben Stokes was bowled by Sunil Narine, then Root was caught behind off the same bowler for 37. When Jos Buttler departed, England had lost four wickets in six overs for 21 runs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0F-Q93BSBs

Ravi Bopara, playing in his 100th ODI, was left to guide the visitors home. But 59 was needed off the last seven overs, which became 37 from the last three and 22 off the final six balls.

			Runs	Minutes	Balls
Lumb	c Dwayne Bravo	b Rampaul	106	162	117
Moeen	c Narine	b Smith	44	85	59
Wright	c Dwayne Bravo	b Sammy	1	9	9
Root	c Ramdin	b Narine	37	87	48
Stokes		b Narine	5	11	7
Buttler	c Holder	b Dwayne Bravo	12	16	17
Bopara	not out		23	36	24
Bresnan	not out		14	30	19
Extras		0nb 9w 1b 2lb	12
Bowler		Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
Holder		4	0	27	0
Rampaul		10	0	53	1
Narine		10	1	36	2
Dwayne Bravo		10	0	59	1
Sammy		10	0	46	1
Smith		6	0	30	1

The series continues on Sunday before coming to a conclusion on Wednesday, with all three matches played in Antigua.

Ireland failed in their quest to win a first bilateral series against a Full Member nation as they were beaten by West Indies by 11 runs in the second Twenty20 International.

The men from the Caribbean made just 96-9 in Jamaica, but the tourists failed to reach their small target under difficult batting conditions at Sabina Park in Kingston.

Ireland won Wednesday's opening match of the series on the same ground, but Phil Simmons' charges couldn't repeat the trick as they finished on 85-8.

Ireland won the toss and elected to field before restricting West Indies to under 100 as Alex Cusack picked up a career-best four for 11 with his medium pace.

After putting on 27 for the opening wicket in the first four overs, the home batsmen struggled on a slow pitch with Andre Fletcher top-scoring with just 19.

However, the Irish found conditions just as difficult and were 29-5 in the 11th over as under-fire home captain Darren Sammy picked up two wickets.

Only Ed Joyce, playing his 100th match for Ireland, and Gary Wilson made it into double figures with the latter top-scoring in the match.

Wilson went for 35 in the 18th over, and the visitors needed 20 off the final over.

Dwayne Bravo, who removed Wilson with a slower ball, saw Cusack hit the first delivery for four, but two balls later, he ran out Max Sorensen to seal the victory.

W Indies			Runs	Minutes	Balls
Total			96-9	(20 Ov)
Ireland			Runs	Minutes	Balls
Total			85-8	(20 Ov)
Smith	c Porterfield	b Cusack	11	8	17
Fletcher	c Wilson	b Cusack	19	2	15
Samuels	c Wilson	b Thompson	10	27	16
Simmons	lbw	b K O'Brien	12	32	18
Dwayne Bravo	run out (Porterfield)		10	4	13
Russell		b Murtagh	8	12	11
Sammy	run out (Stirling)		2	17	5
Ramdin	c Porterfield	b Cusack	5	12	6
Narine	not out		12	8	13
Badree	c and b Cusack		5	7	6
Santokie	not out		0		0
Extras		0nb 2w 0b 0lb	2
Bowler		Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
Sorensen		3	0	20	0
Murtagh		4	0	22	1
Dockrell		3	0	14	0
Cusack		4	1	11	4
Thompson		1	0	9	1
Stirling		1	0	4	0
K O'Brien		4	0	16	1
Porterfield		b Badree	5	24	18
Stirling		b Santokie	2	6	5
Joyce	c Ramdin	b Narine	10	21	14
Wilson	c and b Dwayne Bravo		35	42	39
Poynter	c Samuels	b Sammy	2		5
K O'Brien		b Sammy	3	7	5
Thompson	c Smith	b Sammy	7	8	8
Sorensen	not out		10	28	19
Cusack	run out (Dwayne Bravo)		8	6	6
Murtagh	not out		1	2	1
Extras		0nb 0w 0b 2lb	2
Bowler		Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
Santokie		4	0	12	1
Badree		4	1	13	1
Narine		4	0	12	1
Dwayne Bravo		4	0	24	1
Sammy		4	0	22	3

West Indies ended a run of five T20 defeats in a row as they look to build momentum ahead of the defence of their World Twenty20 title next month.

Sunday's one-off one-day international completes Ireland's tour.

The West Indies and Ireland meet in the second of their two Twenty20 Internationals on Friday after the visitors claimed a shock six-wicket victory in the first match on Wednesday.

Venue: Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica

Commences: Friday, Feb. 21, 2014

Start time: 7 p.m. GMT (2 p.m. local)

Live on: Not available

Weather: The Weather Channel is forecasting a hot and partly cloudy day, with the temperature expected to reach 31 degrees Celsius in the middle of the afternoon. High winds could see the development of a short shower in the evening, but play looks unlikely to be interrupted. 

Overview 

A brief limited-overs campaign against Ireland was supposed to provide the West Indies with a gentle warm-up heading into a six-match encounter with England beginning next week. Yet in the first T20 on Wednesday, what was expected to be routine became rather embarrassing; a relatively strong home outfit comfortably brushed aside by a non-Test-playing nation.

It must be conceded that the West Indies arrived at Wednesday's match-up amid a sense that the team was underdone, with Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels and Darren Sammy all returning after injury lay-offs.

But the manner in which the hosts' explosive batting line-up was tamed by a disciplined Ireland attack will be a cause for concern ahead of the ICC World Twenty20.

Conversely, the result will have done wonders for the confidence of the Irish players, who are beginning to form a reputation as giant-killers in the T20 arena. In fact, Sabina Park in Jamaica was the site of the nation's first significant victory back in 2007 against the very same opponents. 

Desperate to prove they'll be doing more than making up the numbers at the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh next month, Ireland will be keen to inflict another damaging result on the home side when the teams meet again on Friday.

If Ireland's ever-improving form is anything to go by, the West Indies will have their hands full again.

Squads 

West Indies: Darren Sammy (c), Samuel Badree, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Krishmar Santokie, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith

Ireland: William Porterfield (c), Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Ed Joyce, Andrew McBrine, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O'Brien, Niall O'Brien, Andrew Poynter, Max Sorensen, James Shannon, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Gary Wilson, Craig Young

Players to Watch

West Indies

Chris Gayle will again be the star attraction in the home side's line-up, with the bruising left-hander likely to make up for his subdued 18-run performance in the first match with something more typical when the teams meet again.

Of course, returning from a severe hamstring injury does pose its problems, particularly with regard to power-hitting, but it's difficult to think that team management would rush back their superstar for rather inconsequential matches against Ireland if he wasn't at full fitness. 

Thus, we can expect a far stronger showing from Gayle in the second match of this encounter; a fact Ireland will be well aware of, too.

Ireland

Ed Joyce played the vital hand in Ireland's successful chase on Wednesday, compiling a measured 40 not out from 49 balls to guide his side to safety after early trouble.

Far from the typical T20 batsman, Joyce is the sort of accumulator that Ireland may again look to build around in the second match on Friday.

Yet, in occupying the critical No. 3 position, it will be imperative for Joyce to operate with distinctly more urgency than he did on Wednesday, given it's unlikely that the home team will put together another vastly disappointing batting display.

If the left-hander is tied down, the West Indies could severely restrict the visitors.

Prediction

The West Indies certainly have concerns after their loss in the first match of this short series, most notably with regard to the team's enigmatic batting unit.

Meanwhile, Ireland will be confident that they have the capacity to repeat their performance from Wednesday's encounter, particularly when one considers the team's improving Twenty20 ranking.

Yet, with complacency now likely to be replaced by intensity for the hosts, expect to see Gayle and Co. put forward a far more impressive showing, which should be enough to earn them a victory and level the series on Friday.

The West Indies and Ireland meet in the first of two Twenty20 Internationals on Wednesday, with both teams using the series as preparation for the upcoming ICC World Twenty20 in March.

Venue: Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica

Commences: Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2014

Start time: 7 p.m. GMT (2 p.m. local)

Live on: Not available

Weather: The Weather Channel is forecasting a hot and partly cloudy day, with the temperature expected the reach 31 degrees Celsius in the middle of the afternoon. High winds could see the development of a short shower in the evening, but play looks unlikely to be interrupted. 

Overview 

Before the West Indies host a revamped England for three ODIs and three T20Is beginning on February 28, the Caribbean side entertains England's neighbours, Ireland, for a short limited-overs encounter.

While meeting one of international cricket's minnows would normally represent an unwelcome distraction, the home side will welcome the opportunity to ease Chris Gayle, Darren Sammy and Marlon Samuels back into form, as all three missed the limited-overs leg of the West Indies' tour of New Zealand.

For Ireland, the chance to play the West Indies is much needed given that they haven't competed against a Test-playing nation in any format since September of last year.

Squads 

West Indies: Darren Sammy (c), Samuel Badree, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Krishmar Santokie, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith

Ireland: William Porterfield (c), Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Ed Joyce, Andrew McBrine, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O'Brien, Niall O'Brien, Andrew Poynter, Max Sorensen, James Shannon, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Gary Wilson, Craig Young

Players to Watch

West Indies

The star attraction for the home side is, of course, Chris Gayle. The undisputed king of T20 batting, the brutal left-hander will look to annihilate the lowly Irish side and kick-start his return to the international arena in spectacular fashion.

However, with such a short turnaround until the ICC World Twenty20 begins, Gayle's ability to discover his emphatic best will be extremely important for this West Indies side.

His return from a severe hamstring injury poses problems, with the explosive nature of the T20 game adding to the threat of a re-occurrence. 

Ireland

Paul Stirling is Ireland's leading run-scorer in this format, with four fifties and 507 runs from 21 innings.

The 23-year-old right-hander is also among his team's most explosive, with a career strike rate of 126.75. 

Stirling's last T20I innings also featured eight fours and four sixes; he hammered 76 from just 43 deliveries against Afghanistan. 

Prediction

This series arrives at a perfect time for the West Indians, who will look to use it as a warm-up for England's visit and the forthcoming ICC World Twenty20.

Although they have a collection of players who could be considered underdone, the home side's explosive batting strength should be enough to claim a comprehensive victory in the opening match of this encounter.