In the 70s and 90s, cricket was ruled by the West Indies Cricket team and they were strongest in Tests matches as well as ODI’s. Moreover, to date, they do not give any less of a fight to the topmost nations in the current era of cricket. Commonly known as the Windies, this multi-national cricket team has had so many phenomenal talents shine in the sport. In this article, we shall look deeper into the West Indies cricket team, its board, players, match records as well as achievements, and more.
History Behind The West Indies Cricket Team
The history of the Windies dates back to the 1890s, it was then that the first representative sides were selected to play against English teams that visited. Later on, in 1926, the West Indies Cricket Board became part of the ICC (Imperial Cricket Conference).
Additionally, click here to read about the ICC (International Cricket Conference) now known as the International Cricket Council.
Following that the Windies played their first international test match in 1928. From the 1930s till the 1960s the Windies transitioned from a white-dominated team to a black-dominated team. Furthermore, along with this transition by the late 1970s West Indies was globally recognized as unofficial World Champions.
Additionally. the Windies were famously known for their 4-man fast bowling attack supported by some of the greatest batsmen to have graced the sport. Moreover, they were at power with the Invincibles of the Bradman Era, as a test playing team, and in the 1980s they set a record of 11 consecutive Test wins. However, in recent years the Windies have lacked form and struggle to reconnect with their glorious past.
Member States Of The West Indies Team Till Date
The West Indies team is made up of the following sovereign states, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago. Moreover, it also represents parts of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Furthermore, British territories like Anguilla, Montserrat, and the British Virgin Islands, and the constituent country of Netherlands, Sint Maarten as well as the US Virgin Islands are all represented by the West Indies.
Cricket Board
To begin with, the Windies team is governed by Cricket West Indies which is the West Indies Cricket Board of Control. Furthermore, the board consists of the six cricket associations, namely, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Leeward Islands, and also the Windward Islands. The Leeward Islands Cricket Association consists of Antigua and Barbuda, the two entities of Saint Kitts and Nevis, three British Territories Anguilla, Montserrat, and the British Virgin Islands, as well as two other dependencies the US Virgin Islands and Sint Maarten. The Windward Islands Cricket Board of Control consists of four sovereign states Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent, as well as the Grenadines.
Many of the islands also have their own national teams as they are separate individual nations. Also, many of the international sides play the island teams as warm-up games before they face the combined Windies team.
Team Colors
During ODI’s the West Indies Cricket Team players wear maroon-colored jerseys and trousers. Furthermore, on the jersey sits the West Indies Logo as well as the sponsor’s logo. Additionally, the players wear a maroon cap that sports the West Indies Cricket Board logo.
On the other hand, the Windies wear traditional whites for first-class games. Furthermore, they sport maroon-colored caps and helmets in this format as well and they too have the West Indies Cricket Board logo displayed.
International Match Venues Till Date
To begin with, the Windies have 12 stadiums that are used as international venues when international teams arrive to play Test matches. Firstly, we have the Queen’s Park Oval which has hosted the most number of Tests in comparison to the other 10 stadia. Moreover, it has a capacity of above 18,000. Then we have the Kensington Oval located in Bridgetown, Barbados which has a capacity of 11,000. After that comes the Bourda stadium with a capacity of 22,000.
Then comes the Sabina Park in Jamaica and Providence Stadium in Georgetown with an audience capacity of 15,000 each. After that comes the Antigua Recreation Ground which saw the world record scores of Chris Gayle (317) and Brian Lara (375). Then we have the Arnos Vale, National Cricket Stadium, and Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium that hosted their first Test games in 1997, 2002, and 2003 respectively. Lastly, we have the Warner Park Stadium and Sir Vivian Richards stadium that have a capacity of 10,000 each, and the Windsor Park Stadium with a 12,000 capacity.
West Indies Squad
| Name | Batting Style | Bowling Skill |
|---|---|---|
| Following Is The Test Captain and All-rounder | ||
| Jason Holder | Right-handed bat | Right-arm medium-fast |
| Following Is The ODI & T20I Captain and All-rounder | ||
| Kieron Pollard | Right-handed bat | Right-arm medium-fast |
| Following Is The Test Vice Captain and Opening Batsman | ||
| Kraigg Brathwaite | Right-handed bat | Right-arm off break |
| Following Is The ODI Vice Captain, Opening batsmen and Wicketkeeper | ||
| Shai Hope | Right-handed bat | – |
| Following Is The T20I Vice captain and Wicketkeeper | ||
| Nicholas Pooran | Left-handed bat | – |
| Following Are The Opening batsmen | ||
| John Campbell | Left-handed bat | Right-arm off break |
| Lendl Simmons | Right-handed bat | Right-arm medium-fast |
| Evin Lewis | Left-handed bat | Right-arm medium |
| Brandon King | Right-handed bat | – |
| Following Are The Middle-order batsmen | ||
| Sunil Ambris | Right-handed bat | – |
| Shamarh Brooks | Right-handed bat | Right arm leg break |
| Rovman Powell | Right-handed bat | Right-arm medium-fast |
| Shimron Hetmyer | Left-handed bat | – |
| Darren Bravo | Left-handed bat | Right-arm medium |
| Following Are The Wicket-keepers | ||
| Shane Dowrich | Right-handed bat | – |
| Jahmar Hamilton | Right-handed bat | – |
| Denesh Ramdin | Right-handed bat | – |
| Following Are The All-rounders | ||
| Carlos Brathwaite | Right-handed bat | Right-arm medium-fast |
| Roston Chase | Right-handed bat | Right-arm off break |
| Fabian Allen | Right-handed bat | Slow left-arm orthodox |
| Dwayne Bravo | Right-handed bat | Right-arm medium-fast |
| Andre Russell | Right-handed bat | Right-arm fast |
| Keemo Paul | Right-handed bat | Right-arm fast-medium |
| Rahkeem Cornwall | Right-handed bat | Right-arm off break |
| Sherfane Rutherford | Left-handed bat | Right-arm fast-medium |
| Following Are The Pace Bowlers | ||
| Sheldon Cottrell | Right-handed bat | Left-arm fast |
| Shannon Gabriel | Right-handed bat | Right-arm fast |
| Alzarri Joseph | Right-handed bat | Right-arm fast |
| Romario Shepherd | Right-handed bat | Right-arm fast-medium |
| Kemar Roach | Right-handed bat | Right-arm fast |
| Oshane Thomas | Left-handed bat | Right-arm fast |
| Kesrick Williams | Right-handed bat | Right-arm fast-medium |
| Following Are The Spin Bowlers | ||
| Hayden Walsh Jr | Left-handed bat | Right-arm leg break |
| Sunil Narine | Left-handed bat | Right-arm off break |
| Ashley Nurse | Right-handed bat | Right-arm off break |
| Khary Pierre | Left-handed bat | Slow left-arm orthodox |
| Jomel Warrican | Right-handed bat | Slow left-arm orthodox |
Match Stats & Achievements Till Date
To begin with, the West Indies team has won 43 World Cup matches out of the 80 they have played. Furthermore, they have won the Cricket World Cup twice. They also won the ICC T20 World Cup twice and the ICC Champions Trophy once.
Additionally, click here to read more about the International Cricket Council’s ICC Cricket World Cup.
Furthermore, in the Test format, the West Indies have played 548 matches till date. Moreover, out of this, they have won 175 matches. Additionally, the Windies have played England the most in this format and have a win percentage of 36.25 against them. Then we have the ODI format in which the Windies have won 401 matches out of 822 matches. Furthermore, the West Indies have played the most number of matches in ODIs against Australia and have a win percentage of 42.86. Also, the Windies have an overall win percentage of 51.26 in the ODI format of cricket which is pretty remarkable.
Lastly, we have the T20 format in which the West Indies have won 17 out of the 31 matches they’ve played. Furthermore, they have played England the most number of times and have a complete 100 percent win record against them.
FAQs Regarding West Indies Cricket Team
The West Indies team is made up of the following sovereign states, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago. Parts Saint Kitts and Nevis and British territories like Anguilla, Montserrat, and the British Virgin Islands, and the constituent country of Netherlands, Sint Maarten as well as the US Virgin Islands are also represented by the West Indies.
Malcom Marshall is the greatest bowler the West Indies team has seen till date, with a bowling average of 20.94 and an outstanding 376 wickets from as little as 81 games.
Brian Lara along with Sir Conrad Hunte are regarded as the greatest batsmen to have represented the West Indies Cricket Team till date.
The West Indies Cricket Board represents the following six cricket associations, namely, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Leeward Islands, and the Windward Islands
Editor’s Note | West Indies Cricket Team
In conclusion, the West Indies Cricket Team is surely one of the top contenders in world Cricket. Moreover, they have given the sport of cricket numerous legends that have shocked the cricket world. Furthermore, they were untouchable in the 90s and were definitely a force to reckon with. However, the West Indies Cricket team players have not been able to regain a form similar to their glorious past and have really been struggling in recent years. Hopefully, they regain their form sooner rather than later and live up to the name created by the legends of the Windies.
