The year 2023 was another eventful one for cricket. The West Indies men were unbeaten in T20 series during the year under their new captain, Rovman Powell, defeating three quality teams.
Despite a memorable year in the T20 format, the 50-over version did not go as planned as the two-time World Cup 50-Over winners failed to book a spot at the global tournament.
As 2023 comes to an end, we look back at how the year panned out for West Indies cricket.
The regional team played 38 international matches this year out of which they won 19, lost 16 matches and Drawn 3.
Test Cricket
Talking about Test Cricket West indies have not Play much, out of 06 matches, Kraigg and the Test team managed to win one, lose three and draw the other two matches.
One Day Internationals
After the disappointment of failing to qualify for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, the West Indies have hit back by claiming a 2-1 ODI series victory over England.
In ODI Cricket The two-time World champions crashed out of this year’s World Cup in the preliminary round following heavy defeats to Scotland and Netherlands.
West Indies, World Cup winners in 1975 and 1979, did not qualify for the 2023 edition. Owing to their low ICC ranking, West Indies needed to compete in the ten-team World Cup qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe to earn a spot at the World Cup.
With their rich history, many would have counted on West Indies booking their spot.
West Indies got their campaign off to a strong start with victories over US and Nepal. But it went downhill from there, with losses to Zimbabwe and the Netherlands.
The defeat against Netherlands was a shocking result as West Indies posted a massive 374/6, a total that seemed impossible to overhaul.
The Netherlands did not get that memo as they also scored 374 to force a super over. The Netherlands struck former captain Jason Holder for 30 runs in the super over, before dismissing West Indies for just eight to win the match.
West Indies then needed a flawless performance in the Super Sixes stage of the tournament to have any chance of finishing as one of the top two teams to qualify for the World Cup. It did not go their way as two losses in three matches in the Super Sixes meant West Indies failed to qualify for the first time in their history.
T20 Internationals
Powell’s men perfect in T20s – Romario Shepherd’s profound improvement as a fast bowler, left-arm spin twins Akeal Hosein and Gudakesh Motie, the power hitting of Rovman Powell and Nicholas Pooran, the steady Shai Hope and the return of Andre Russell for the England series at the end of the year all contributed to the West Indies success.
Despite being T20 World Cup champions in 2012 and 2016, West Indies have struggled to maintain consistency since. This year, however, West Indies were unbeaten in series under Powell, who was announced as the new skipper in February, replacing Pooran.
Powell’s first role as captain was leading West Indies in a three-match series away from home against South Africa. West Indies pulled off a 2-1 series win as Powell’s tenure started on a high.
Fast forward to August, West Indies hosted India in a five-match series with matches played in the Caribbean and Florida. India were missing a few of their marquee players as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were among those rested for the series, but they were still loaded with quality with the likes of Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, captain Hardik Pandya and Yuzvendra Chahal in the line-up.
West Indies jumped out to a 2-0 series lead, before India fought back to level the series 2-2. In the final T20 played in Florida, West Indies sealed the series with an eight-wicket win.
To close off the year, West Indies got past England 3-2 in the Caribbean. West Indies again took a 2-0 series lead, before losing two straight matches. In the fifth match at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, West Indies won to end 2023 with a perfect 3-0 series record.