Can the West Indies successfully defend World T20 title?

Five things to know about the West Indies team to play at the World Twenty20 tournament in Bangladesh:

Gaylestorm: In opener Chris Gayle, the defending champion West Indies has the most proficient match-winner in the T20 format. Gayle is capable of snatching a game away from any opposition and can be instrumental in building a strong target. Gayle smashed a decisive 75 in the 2012 semifinal against Australia, and has plenty of records in T20. He has a record 11 T20 centuries with a top score of 175 off just 66 deliveries in India’s domestic T20 tournament.

Born Again Bowler: A change in bowling action has turned Sunil Narine into a dangerous prospect in Twenty20 cricket. The offspinner had played no domestic limited-overs cricket when he was first picked for the Champions League T20 tournament by Trinidad and Tobago. He was soon referred to bio-mechanical experts in Australia due to a suspect bowling action, and some small tweaks made the world of difference. Narine went from there to earn a place in the West Indies squad and then became a prized T20 player in professional leagues, including in India. He can prove brutally effective with support from legspinner Samuel Badri.

T20 Specialists: West Indies captain Darren Sammy says the demand for Caribbean players in international professional leagues makes his team a top contender to progress to the knockout stages, even from a difficult group containing India, Pakistan and Australia. There are a dozen West Indies players featuring in the Indian Premier League, including some of the competition’s biggest stars. As Sammy says, “Gayle, Bravo, Narine are all marquee players.”

Football Folly: The West Indies can blame football for the absence of one its star cricketers at the World T20. Big-hitting allrounder Kieron Pollard, who had smashed 38 off only 15 deliveries in the 2012 World T20 semifinal against Australia, is the only top star missing from the squad after he injured his knee while playing in a charity football match. Captain Sammy says Pollard will be sorely missed.

All Square: The reigning World T20 champion West Indies has an almost 50-50 record cricket’s shortest format with 25 wins and 27 losses from 56 games, with two ties and one no-result. In the World T20s it has won nine and lost nine from 20 games with one tie and one no-result. It had mixed fortunes at the previous tournament, losing to Australia and Sri Lanka, one no-result against Ireland and a tied game against New Zealand. It was lucky to make the knockout stages, but lifted for the big matches to beat Australia by 74 runs in the semifinal and Sri Lanka by 36 runs in the final.

AP