Bridgetown (Barbados), Aug 9 (IANS) Former West Indies pacer Colin Croft believes the West Indies can win the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Twenty20 in India next year.
But this would depend on many computations, CMC quoted Croft as saying.
“India-2016 is nine months away but proper planning and selections are main keys for the West Indies to win there,” he said.
“Trinidad and Tobago’s Red Steel recent win in Caribbean Premier League 2015, beating similarly talented Barbados Trident, tells only one story; that a Windies team consisting of several players from that final game, plus some from other teams, could bring the side further World T-20 success.
“So, as suggested by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), let us accentuate the positive, if it exists,” he added.
Noting the West Indies’ ranking of number four in T20s, behind Sri Lanka, Australia and India, Croft believes it’s possible for West Indies to be number one in the format again.
“Victorious T&T Red Steel has no Champions League competition to look forward to any more, so Dwayne Bravo, Darren Bravo, Suleiman Benn, Kieron Pollard, Jason Holder, Kevon Cooper, Samuel Badree, Jason Mohammed, Ashley Nurse and Imran Khan; from last CPL final; plus Sunil Narine and Chris Gayle, if he recovers from his medical issues, could be nuclei for India-2016.”
He said some of the players have ongoing issues with the WICB and might not even be available for selection.
“But realistically, ICC WT-20 India-2016 could be the last opportunity for some of this present generation of Windies cricketers to win any further world championships for some time in the future,” he said.
The 2016 International Cricket Council’s (ICC) World T20 is scheduled to be held in India from March 11 to April 3, 2016. Sri Lanka are the defending champions.
