LEEDS, England, CMC – All-rounder Carlos Brathwaite believes West Indies must immediately embark on a rebuilding effort in the wake of their disastrous showing at the ICC World Cup.
The Caribbean side entered the tournament with high hopes but finished ninth with a mere two wins, only above minnows Afghanistan who were last without a point.
Brathwaite, one of only two Windies players to score a hundred, said in coming years it was also critical the side developed the winning habit.
“Hopefully we can take that winning mentality into the next World Cup,” said the 30-year-old, who skippers the Twenty20 side.
“If you look at 2015 and what England did after the World Cup, they have built straight up to the 2019 World Cup and it’s paying dividends.
“I don’t know off the field what the plans are for the 2023 World Cup but I think it’s something we need to look at and build towards that.”
West Indies signed off on a wretched World Cup campaign on Thursday by beating winless Afghanistan by 23 runs at Headingley. The victory ended a nightmare run which saw them lose six of their last seven matches to be eliminated from contention for the final four. West Indies had opened the tour with a dominant seven-wicket victory over Pakistan at Nottingham before their form slumped dramatically.
Brathwaite said while disappointment was rife, there had also been bright spots throughout the tournament which were reasons for hope.
“There is disappointment in the changing rooms at not making the final four but we’re thankful for the good performances,” Brathwaite said.
“Sheldon Cottrell had a fantastic tournament and at times like these it’s easy to let those things go missing. But as a team we came together, we highlighted the guys that we thought had good performances and the guys that didn’t will take the lessons and come back from it so we can start to win bilateral series leading up to the next World Cup.
“As a team, we need to regroup. We have some time off, some aching bodies will get time to recuperate and then it’s about finding ways and combinations to compete and win series.”
Brathwaite also praised veteran Chris Gayle who played his final World Cup match, and is expected to retire from international cricket shortly.
“I don’t think I really understood the magnitude of what Chris Gayle had done for West Indies cricket when I came into the team,” he noted.
“It’s one of my regrets over the course of my short West Indies career but being with him a lot more and sharing a dressing room with him in franchise cricket as well, you get to see the aura he has on and off the field.
“I now really understand what Chris Gayle means, not only for West Indies cricket but for world cricket as well.”
