Although they have not represented the West Indies since their retirement, they both remain active in franchise leagues around the world. Ashwin believes that members of Cricket West Indies (CWI) should have held a discussion with Narine and Pooran before the T20 World Cup and convinced them to play in the 20-team event.
“I am very disappointed that West Indian cricket has not been able to bring Nicholas Pooran and Sunil Narine to this World Cup. You have world famous T20 cricketers. Somehow you have to sit on the other side of the table, talk to them and take them to the World Cup. How can you leave Nicholas Pooran and Sunil Narine out of your country and go to the World Cup without them?” asked Ashwin on his YouTube channel.
“I’m a big fan of West Indies cricket. They have a lot of skills. But the way they plan, the way they practice and sometimes even the infrastructure in the West Indies leaves me speechless. With that kind of infrastructure, how do you practice and then go on to compete around the world? So in many ways I think West Indies cricket has a high ceiling and great potential, but they really need to rethink the way they approach and plan World Cups,” he added.
They are not serious contenders: Ashwin
Ashwin said West Indies are not serious contenders but called them a dark horse for the T20 World Cup. He added
“They are not serious contenders. I would call them a dark horse. And I think West Indies are a dark horse because they have those players, the power hitters, who can make a difference to the team. That’s why I put them in the dark horse category because they have a lot of power in their batting, a lot of power.”
“If their bowling goes well, Akeal Hosein bowls well, if Motie bowls well, Roston Chase and any of their fast bowlers find form, anything can happen. So if these players get in form, they can be a real threat. But I don’t think they have a chance of getting into the top four. Still, only time will tell,” he added.
West Indies have the most number of T20 World Cup titles (2). England and India are the other two teams with two titles each.
The Shai Hope-led team has been placed in Group C, alongside Scotland, England, Nepal and Italy. West Indies lost their solitary warm-up match against Afghanistan by 23 runs on Wednesday, February 4. They will begin their campaign in the global spectacle on Saturday, February 7, in Match No. 2 of the competition at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
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