For many, West Indies aka Windies could be the dark horse of the ICC World Cup 2019 which is set to begin on May 30 as the host-England take on South Africa at the Oval. Even though the two-time champions had to qualify for the tournament this year and got through as the last team after Afghanistan, the Windies could be the team to look for this time. Their recent performance as a team against England at home and the individual brilliance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 have changed the way the cricketing world is looking at them now.
On Wednesday, the official World Cup kit of the Windies was launched and it was a complete maroon one with the logo of the team and the World Cup printed on it. The name ‘West Indies’ is written in yellow in front of the jersey while there is a shadow of the palm tree in front, signifying the Caribbean flavour. The gear is also available at the official Cricket West Indies website.
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The West Indies, led by all-rounder Jason Holder for the second consecutive time, will feel boosted by the fact that the World Cup this year is taking place in England. It was in the same country that they had reached the final of the World Cup three times on the trot and won it twice (1975 and 1979). Interestingly, no other team has played so many finals in the World Cup in England.
The team also features some special talents in the form of Andre Russell and Chris Gayle who on their days can decimate any opposition and that has made the fans of the team hopeful about a grand turnaround. The Windies are currently ranked eighth in the ICC’s ODI rankings and have not made the World Cup semi-final since 1996.
The West Indies will begin their campaign at the World Cup against Pakistan who they will play at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on May 31. Although Pakistan is ranked higher than the Caribbeans at the moment, the latter have a 7-3 lead over them in the World Cup. They had beaten them in the semi-finals of the 1979 and 1983 editions played in England.
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