King, Motie seize opportunities in T20 series sweep

May 27, 2024

STAND-IN captain Brandon King and left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie seized their opportunities in all three matches against South Africa to cement starting spots in the West Indies team, ahead of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup, which will take place from June 1-29, jointly in the Caribbean and the United States.

Both West Indies and South Africa were missing their appointed captains for the World Cup (Rovman Powell and Aiden Markram respectively) but the hosts took advantage of home conditions, and recent T20 struggles by the visitors, to inflict a series sweep at Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica.

The West Indies won the first contest on Thursday by 28 runs, and followed up with a 16-run victory on Saturday and an eight-wicket triumph on Sunday.

King, who missed the A team’s T20 tour of Nepal a month ago due to a knee injury, was consistent throughout at the top of the order, as he emerged as the leading run-scorer (overall) with 159.

Motie, who was named as the Player of the Series, was the leading wicket-taker (overall) with eight scalps.

On Sunday morning, Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced in a media release that veteran all-rounder Jason Holder would miss the World Cup due to an undisclosed ‘injury’, and will be replaced by injury-prone left-arm pacer Obed McCoy.

It was unfortunate for Holder, but it seems as if CWI wanted to ensure a full recovery ahead of five Test matches this ‘summer’ – three away to England and two at home to South Africa.

Besides Powell (Indian Premier League duties) and Holder, there were notable absentees for the West Indies – vice-captain Alzarri Joseph, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, Shimron Hetmyer (IPL), Shai Hope and Nicholas Pooran (rest).

With no other opener in the 15-man World Cup squad, Kyle Mayers, who was used in the number-three position in the batting line-up, tallied 102 runs at an average of 51.0, including an unbeaten 36 in the series finale on Sunday.

King’s opening partner for the World Cup, and this series against South Africa – Johnson Charles – scored one and seven in the first two matches at Sabina Park.

On Sunday (whether or not it had to do with a relaxed mindset as the series was already won), Charles blitzed his way to 69 off 26 balls with nine fours and five sixes. It was a welcome return to form for Charles, whose powerful stroke-play is a useful foil to the silky King.

Motie was predominantly used after the power-play overs, but he proved that he is the premier spinner in the West Indies T20 squad, with respective figures of 3/25, 3/22 and 2/21.

Another left-arm bowler, McCoy, may have been geed up by the news of his inclusion in the World Cup party. Nonetheless, he had his best performance in the series on Sunday – given the ‘death overs’, he claimed 3/39 off four overs. He was the West Indies’ second-leading wicket-taker with five.

Just like Motie, and to a lesser extent King, Roston Chase has had to endure questions about his place on the WI T20 International squad.

These are how Chase answered the latest set of queries – 32 not out off 30 balls with two fours and a six, followed by 2-0-12-1 on Thursday; 67 not out off 38 balls with seven fours and two sixes, followed by 4-0-26-1 on Saturday.

Romario Shepherd, with his hard-hitting ability with the bat and his changes of pace with the ball, as well as rookie Shamar Joseph’s pace and athleticism, also showed they can play useful roles in the West Indies’ T20 World Cup campaign.

One bone of contention though – it was embarrassing, not only on the part of CWI, but mostly on the Jamaica Cricket Association, to be staging an international match at Sabina, in 2024, without a functioning electronic scoreboard, especially with the World Cup mere days away.

Caribbean Cricket News

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