The West Indies cricket team, also nicknamed the Windies, is a multi-national men’s cricket team. It is administered by Cricket West Indies and is represented by English- speaking countries and Caribbean territories in the region.
The players on this composite are chosen from a group of fifteen Caribbean nation-states and territories. The West Indies has been ranked seventh in tests and ninth in both ODIs and T20Is in the official ICC rankings as of 13th May 2021. We will delve more into interesting facts about the Cricket West Indies Team.
History of the West Indies Team
The West Indies team came to the limelight in the 1880s after their tour to Canada and the United States. In the 1890s, the team’s first representative sides were selected to play in the English sides.
In 1926, the West Indies Cricket Board joined the sport’s international ruling body which is the Imperial Cricket Council and played their first official international Test match in 1928. Even though the team had a bunch of great players in the early days as a Test nation, they only began to experience major success in the 1960s.
By the time it was in the 1970s, the West Indies had earned a great reputation as unofficial world champions. The team had skilled batsmen, brilliant fielders and a threatening paced bowling attack. From the 1970s to the 1980s the team went down as one of the best in Test cricket’s history together with the famous Australian team, “Invincibles”.
During the 1980’s, the West Indies team set a world record streak of 11 consecutive Test victories in 1984. The record was part of an unbeatable record of 27 tests without defeat as well as inflicting two 5-0 blackwashes against the old enemy of England.
Even though the team has not been as consistent in wins, Windies remains to be one of the most successful cricket teams in history and continues to outperform most teams in the rest of the world. Check out more about West Indies vs Zimbabwe.
The West Indies became the only team in history to be World Champions simultaneously in three ICC World Cup tournaments, the Men’s ICC World T20, the Women’s ICC World T20, and the ICC Under-19 World Cup in 2016.
The Best West Indies Players of all Time
A number of cricketers who were considered among the best in the world have hailed from the West Indies. Here is a list of the top five.
- Desmond Haynes
Desmond Haynes dominated bowling attacks from the start of the innings for the past 20 years. Desmond enjoyed knocking down long innings. He did this ruthlessly with the skill that made his 18 test-match centuries testament that was always converted to a good start. He played 11 tests, 7487 runs, an average of 42.28, and 184 as the highest score.
- Gordon Greenidge
As Haynes’ partner. Gordon Greenidge had to also be on top of the list. Gordon was a truly terrifying prospect to encounter even with a new ball. He was an excellent player both front and back foot and more often had a signature destructive strokeplay and a desire to attack and dominate at every opportunity.
Gordon together with Haynes had the most memorable opening partnerships so it makes sense that both of them are at the top as best players. He plates 108 Tests, 7558 runs, and an average of 44.72 and 226 as his highest score.
- Viv Richards
Viv Richards comes in third as the player who dominated since his first ball. Richards is said to destroy any bowling attack easily and often took advantage of great platforms laid by openers causing havoc. He never wore a helmet and his eye coordination was exquisite making his performance one to be remembered. Richard played 121 tests, 8540 runs and an average of 50.23, and the highest score of 291.
- Brian Lara
At number 4 is the legendary Brian Lara. Brian is the highest run-scorer in the history of Test Cricket. He had a peculiar ability to maintain high scores with his high back-lift ensuring that he hit the ball with a huge force even during the defense. During the start of the 21st century when the West Indies began to decline as a cricketing force, Lara continued to shine in the runs.
He was able to break Garry Sobers’ record for the highest score of 375 in the innings against England in 1994. Lara played 131 tests, 11953 runs, an average of 52.88, and the highest score of 400.
- Clive Lloyd
Clive Lloyd goes down memory lane as one of the most successful captains for the West Indies team. Clive was not only such a phenomenal leader but also a great batsman who hit the ball with such admirable power and strength. He was capable of dominating any bowling attack and his abilities were never affected by his Captain role. He had 110 Tests, 7515 runs, an average of 46.67, and 242 as his highest score.
Conclusion
Clearly, the West Indies is one of the best cricket teams in history. They continue to dominate the cricket world and now with reliable betting sites, one can place a bet on them and win big. You can follow you favorite team and definitely have fun.