West Indies has been knocked out of the 50-over World Cup race, a news that not many would have anticipated back in 2019 after the previous edition of the tournament, has finally become a reality. The two-time champions in 1975 and 1979, one the biggest powerhouse in cricket that has produced legends like Viv Richards, Desmond Haynes, Ian Bishop, Malcolm Marshall, Curtley Ambrose, Chris Gayle, Brian Lara among many others now finds itself at the rock bottom of a massively competitive environment of international cricket.
The growth of T20 cricket leagues all over the world, absence of key players like Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, Chris Gayle etc from the national side, especially during the transition period and inexperience are among some of the factors that have contributed to the downfall of Windies cricket.
As West Indies looks all set to watch the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India from the sidelines after a highly unfortunate exit from qualifiers in Zimbabwe after loss to Scotland in Super Six, here is a look at their performances in ICC events in 21st century.
ICC Cricket World Cup
2003 (7th out of 14th position finish): West Indies crashed out in the first round in 2003 WC. They won three matches, lost two in Group B. Their match against Bangladesh produced no result and a three-run loss to South Africa hurt them a lot.
-2007 (Super Eight, 6th out of 16th finish): West Indies looked to improve their performance at home. They did it slightly, finishing in the Super Eights stage. In this stage, they won only two matches and lost five matches. They endured heavy losses to Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, South Africa and missed out on a win against England by a whisker.
-2011 (Quarterfinals, 8th out of 14th finish): West Indies made it to the quarterfinals in the 2011 edition of the tournament in subcontinent conditions. They lost by 10 wickets to Pakistan in QFs.
-2015 (Quarterfinals, 8th out of 14th finish): The Men in Maroon made it to the QFs again, but lost to New Zealand by 143 runs in their QF clash.
-2019 (Group Stage, 9th out of 10th finish): By far, this is Windies worst performance at the platform that they once owned with pride. They won only two matches, lost six and one ended in a no result. Close losses to Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka did not help Windies’ cause and they missed out on a top-four finish in Group Stage.
ICC T20 World Cup
-2007 (Group Stage, 11th out of 12th finish): In the first-ever T20 WC, Windies crashed out in the Group stage after losing to South Africa and Bangladesh
-2009 (Semifinals): Windies reached the semifinals this time around, marking a major improvement in their performance. There, they lost to Sri Lanka by 57 runs.
-2010 (Super Eight, 6th out of 12th finish): West Indies advanced to the Super Eight stage. Though they defeated India, they started with a loss to Sri Lanka and lost their must-win game against the Aussies by six wickets.
-2012 (Champions): A tournament which started West Indies’ golden period once again as they became world beaters in T20I cricket. Defeating Sri Lanka in finals, they won their first major world title in 33 years.
-2014 (Semifinals): Though West Indies failed to defend their title, they still earned a semifinal finish after rain gods intervened to deny them a win while they were halfway during chase of 161 set by Sri Lanka. They lost the match by 27 runs via DL method.
-2016 (Champions): All-rounder Carlos Braithwaite’s four towering sixes against England’s Ben Stokes in final over during title clash helped Windies reclaim the title that they had lost due to rain gods intervening two years earlier.
-2021 (Super 12 stage, 9th out of 16th finish): Five years later, Windies failed in their title defence, bowing out in Super 12 stage. They won only one game and lost four. Even their win against Bangladesh was by three runs.
-2022 (Group Stage, 15th out of 16th finish): Arguably, West Indies’ worst performance in T20 WC history. West Indies crashed out in qualifiers to the Super 12 stage, losing two matches to Ireland and Scotland. These two upsets threw Windies out of the Super 12’s race.
ICC Champions Trophy
-2000 (Group Stage, 11th out of 11 finish): West Indies crashed out in the first round after a loss to Sri Lanka in pre-QFs and finished last.
-2002 (Group Stage, 7th out of 12th finish): Windies improved their performance slightly, but it was still not enough to earn them a semifinal place.
-2004 (Champions): After two disappointing outings, Windies were crowned champions in 2004 tournament held at England. They defeated the hosts in the final by eight wickets.
-2006 (Runners-up): In yet another commendable performance, West Indies reached finals, where they lost to Australia.
-2009 (Round 1, 9th out of 9th finish): In Group A, WI lost all their matches to Australia, Pakistan and India to finish at the bottom of the table. In a huge contrast to the previous two tournaments, they finished as wooden spoon holders.
-2013 (Round 1, 7th out of 8th finish): In this tournament, a tie against South Africa and a loss to India removed any advantage they could gain after win over Pakistan, which started off their campaign positively.
-2017 (Did Not Qualify): The top-eight teams were given the privilege to qualify and West Indies missed out for the first time ever.
ICC World Test Championship
-2019 to 2021 (8th out of 9th finish): In the first-ever cycle of WTC, they finished in 8th position. They won three Tests, lost eight and drew two.
-2021 to 2023 (8th out of 9th finish): WI finished at eighth just like last time, with some minor improvements in record. They won four Tests, lost seven and drew two matches.
Will West Indies be able to come out of this cycle of inconsistency and heartbreak and rule the cricketing world like the good old days? Only time will tell.
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