NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – A resurgent West Indies will have a stronger opposition to try their Plan B when they take on an ambitious Bangladesh in Friday’s World Cup Group B match in Dhaka.
Jolted by Dwayne Bravo’s absence, the twice champions have tweaked their original strategy, showing more trust in spinners, entrusting senior players such as Chris Gayle with more responsibility and promoting Kieron Pollard in the batting order.
All-rounder Bravo has been ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury.
The “new thinking”, as coach Ottis Gibson would call it, paid rich dividends as West Indies crushed the Netherlands by 215 runs on Monday to give themselves just the kind of boost they needed in the tournament.
Gayle’s new-found sense of responsibility, evident in his patient knock against the Dutch, and Pollard’s promotion have strengthened the West Indies batting order that seemed so fragile in their defeat by South Africa.
At number three, the graceful Darren Bravo invokes comparisons with Brian Lara, while Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s experience lends depth to the batting order.
Kemar Roach’s hat-trick against the Netherlands may still dominate discussions but West Indies showed rare tactical flexibility when they opened the attack with left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn and played a second tweaker in Nikita Miller.
This is from a side that owe most of their titles, including the 1975 and 1979 World Cups, to their famed pace battery.
Bangladesh, on their part, would bank on their spin attack to upstage their guests.
Like Zimbabwe, Bangladesh’s fortune hinges on their spinners, who can be accurate enough to suffocate any batting line up.
Abdur Razzak, Naeem Islam or Shakib Al Hasan may not be prodigious turners of the ball but their accuracy and parsimony have been the key to their team’s success.
Former captain Mohammad Ashraful was optimistic that his team mates can stun their resurgent West Indian opponents.
“I believe we have a very good chance against them if you consider the conditions and our spin attack.
“We have a very good spin attack and it will not be easy for the West Indians to handle our spinners in these conditions.”
