About The Writer:  Guyana-born, Canada-based Tony McWatt’s articles on Caribbean and Canadian cricket have now spanned well over thirty years. He is the son of the late former Guyana and West Indies wicket-keeper batsman Clifford “Babyboy” McWatt.

Against all expectations, the West Indies men’s cricket team fashioned an incredible, morale-boosting One Day International ODI victory against India, the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) current number one ranked ODI team. A totally unexpected outcome that has certainly made this period one of the most encouraging for West Indies cricket within recent memory! 

Before the recently concluded series, the last time the West Indies won an ODI match in India against the home side was as far back as December 15, 2019. As such, the scheduled home-turf, three-match series against their cellar-dwelling, ninth-ranked Caribbean visitors was widely expected to be a cakewalk for the number one-ranked Indians. 

Against all expectations, and to the delight of their millions of beleaguered fans both at home in the Caribbean and abroad in the diaspora, the “men in maroon” surprised everyone by winning the third ODI. India’s comfortable wins in the first and second ODIs had secured the much-anticipated series victory. Still, the eventual 2-1 margin was far closer than anyone would have imagined at the outset! It also comes as a welcome boost for the West Indies team as it heads into February’s ICC 2027 ODI World Cup Qualifier.

South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia will jointly host the fourteenth edition of the quadrennial ICC ODI World Cup next year, from 2 October to 21 November 2027. The tournament will comprise fourteen teams playing a total of 57 matches. Co-hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe, along with the top eight ranked ICC ODI countries: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have already qualified for the tournament. The remaining four places will be decided at a qualification tournament from 26 February to 21 March 2027, jointly hosted by Namibia and South Africa.

Since winning both the England-hosted 1975 Inaugural and 1979 second ICC World Cups and finishing as losing finalists to India in the 1983 third, West Indies fortunes have plummeted precipitously, so much so that they have failed to automatically qualify in each of the last three editions of the ICC ODI World Cup.

In 2019 the West Indies finished second in the preceding year’s Zimbabwe-hosted Qualifier, thereby advancing to the ensuing 2019 World Cup a year later. They then, however, failed to progress beyond the Group Stage Preliminary Round. A dismal record of six losses, two wins, and one rain-affected no-result left them on just five points. This secured their ninth Group Stage exit.

If 2019 was bad, 2023 was even worse. West Indies failed to even advance from the 2022 Qualifiers to the actual 2023 World Cup. 

Now, four years later, the once all-conquering West Indies have once again had to take the scenic route to an ICC ODI World Cup that was once quadrennially considered theirs to lose. To have won even one of the three matches against the formidable top-ranked India in what will be their only preceding encounters before next February’s all-important World Cup Qualifier should, therefore, again serve as a major morale booster.

Even more importantly, the India three-match series would have provided West Indies Chief Selector and all-formats’ Head Coach Daren Sammy with some of the most useful, vitally important qualification squad-selection information. As a result of the performances in each of the three matches, Sammy and his supporting coaching cadre should now have a clear idea of the likely composition of his best possible fifteen-member squad for the Qualifier. Optimistically assuming qualification, perhaps even beyond to the actual October 2 – November 21, 2027 World Cup.

During the three-match India series, the Caribbean batters posted totals of 295/7 off 50 overs in the first match, a record-breaking 405/7 in the second, and an equally impressive best-ever victory target of 352/5 in the third. Their top four batters, Shai Hope, Amir Jangoo, Justin Greaves and John Campbell ended the series with respective averages of 139.00, 119.50, 101, and 57.66!

As such, Sammy should now know the exact composition of the West Indies top-order batting heading into the February 2027 WC Qualifier. Hope, Campbell, Greaves and Jangoo should undisputedly be the top four batters for the West Indies!

West Indies captain Shai Hope scored back-to-back centuries in both the second and third matches of the India Series. The biggest and best of the three (162 not out), however, came when he opened the batting alongside John Campbell, replacing the injured Justin Greaves and later the out-of-form Keacy Carty.

Hope currently averages 60.7 as an opener, but only 49.9 when batting at number four. Of the 21 ODI centuries he has scored for the West Indies to date, 12 have been as an opener. By comparison, only 3 when batting at four. It now seems a no-brainer that Hope and Campbell should open the batting, with Greaves possibly at three and the ever-consistent Jangoo at four.

Sherfane Rutherford underperformed in both matches he batted in during the series. Scoring just twenty-four runs at a miserly average of 12. Shimron Hetmyer’s far more consistent performances of late, albeit in the shorter T20 format, suggest he might be a worthy replacement for Rutherford at number five.

From an all-rounder perspective, so too would the far more experienced, typically economical and productively penetrative, Jason Holder. Instead of the India series-proven less effective Kemo Paul and Matthew Forde.

On the West Indies front, the India series should also have confirmed to Sammy and Co the reality that Gudakesh Motie and Roston Chase are our best available spinners. Likewise, most unfortunately, the teenage Vital Lawes isn’t quite ready to be thrown into the den of such an intense pressure cooker as a World Cup Qualifier. Lawes was expensive and wicketless during the India series. His 15 overs bowled went for 127 runs at an economy rate of 8.4!

Equally, Sammy will also now know that the West Indies ODI bowling attack should henceforth be led by Jayden Seales. With four of the only eight Indian wickets captured to his name, Seales was by far the West Indies’ leading bowler throughout the series. 

The two Josephs, Alzarri and Shamar, should accompany Seales to comprise the West Indies Zimbabwe Qualifier squad’s frontline bowling. Along with the aforementioned spinners Roston Chase and Gudakesh Motie.

In terms of the Zimbabwe Qualifier squad’s eventual composition, the only remaining question for Sammy and Co to answer is the final allrounder. Which of Matthew Forde, Keemo Paul or possibly Romario Shepherd should be selected as the squad’s fifteenth member? My personal choice is Shepherd for his explosive, potentially match-changing lower-order batting.

As such, Shai Hope captain, John Campbell, Justin Greaves, Amir Jangoo, Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales, Keacy Carty and Sherfane Rutherford would be my provisional West Indies World Cup Zimbabwe Qualifier fifteen-member squad. Barring any unforeseen injuries or otherwise determined unavailability. 

What say ye, Dear Readers? To what extent do you think Daren Sammy should and would agree?