MATCH STORIES
Follow UsWest Indies’ T20 World Cup 2024 campaign may have ended, but they can be proud of how they performed. It might not be a tournament they would look back on numerous occasions, given that they lost two crucial fixtures against England and South Africa in the Super 8s, but they can take heart from the fact that their good performance took them to No. 3 in the ICC rankings - a certain high after they attained their lowest point last year when they failed to qualify for the ODI World Cup.
When you look back at this campaign, you will certainly remember the 98 from Nicholas Pooran against Afghanistan, fifer from Akeal Hosein against Uganda, Shai Hope’s quick-fire 82* against the USA and Roson Chase’s all-round show in a couple of games.
However, if you consider the tournament overall, Alzarri Joseph was West Indies' standout performer. What set him apart was his consistency.
If you look at just the spell he bowled today against South Africa both his wickets came when he dragged the length back, and with the pace he bowls at, he hurries the batters into playing a false shot. South Africa’s Anrich Nortje does something similar.
The advantage that Joseph had over someone like Nortje is that he has bowled way more often in the Caribbean. As a result, he was able to read the wicket and conditions far better, thereby keeping freebies to be a bare minimum. Overall, in the T20 World Cup, 12 of Joseph’s 13 wickets came when he pulled the length back. Only once – against Papua New Guinea – did he get a scalp bowling the off-cutter.
That does not come as a surprise given that Joseph has bowled over 90% of his deliveries in the 6m or below area. However, when he went fuller than that, he was punished.
He did not have as much game time as he would have liked leading up to the tournament. He played just a couple of games in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), and one warm-up game against Australia.
But he showed no signs of rustiness. He went on to pick up two or more wickets in five of his seven games at the marquee event, finishing with 13 wickets – the best for a West Indies bowler in a single edition. He may have had an off day against England, where Phil Salt terrorized every ball that came his way, and barring that, Joseph had a say in every game.
One of his best traits as a pacer is the fact that he can bowl in any phase, but it is at the death that he really thrives on. Even at the T20 World Cup, he managed to pick up six wickets in overs 16-20 despite bowling the least number of overs in that phase. This is not something that’s alien to him.
He has been West Indies’ leading wicket-taker at the death since 2023 with 13 scalps at an economy rate of 8.7, where he has once again bowled the least number of overs. His ability at the death has given him the impetus to also be his country’s leading wicket-taker (32) in this period.
Entering the tournament as vice-captain, Joseph certainly took the additional responsibility well and took his bowling to a different level. It is perhaps easy to forget that the pacer made his T20I debut in 2022. In these two years, he has managed 48 wickets, which is head and shoulders above the next in line —Akeal Hosein (31).
Not just that, among West Indies bowlers who have taken at least five wickets in this period, Joseph has the best strike rate (13.6) and the second-best average (16) for his side. Having made his international debut in 2016, the challenge for the 27-year-old will be to maintain the level of consistency and fitness for the next 3-4 years as the Men in Maroon will be heavily dependent on him to lead the bowling attack across formats.
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