Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey

CWC 2019 – Afghanistan v West Indies: 5 key talking points, AFG vs WI: 5 key talking points from their 2019 World Cup match.

So, there it is. Afghanistan finish the World Cup with no wins, after yet another game where they were right in with a chance of victory.

West Indies ended their own disappointing campaign with a win, sending Chris Gayle out from World Cups as a winner. The Universe Boss wasn’t able to deliver with the bat, but a wicket, nifty fielding and push-ups were a fitting end.

Here are five talking points from West Indies’ 23 run win.

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1. Afghanistan’s team management has a lot to answer for

Senior players were unhappy ahead of the tournament, and it remained the case throughout. The change of captain played a huge role, with Gulbadin Naib out of his depth as skipper. Afghanistan could have won at least three matches, but finished empty-handed.

If the team management continues with rubbish team politics, Afghanistan will struggle to progress at the rate their talent suggests they can. All eyes will be on how they operate after the tournament, including what continuity measures they put in place. One action should be the captain. Another has to be settling on the batting lineup, as their selections seemed to be based from random generators. For example, Afghanistan began the tournament with Hazratullah Zazai and Mohammad Shahzad as the opening pair for their first two matches. Then it was Zazai and Noor Ali Zadran for the next two matches, followed by Zadran and Gulbadin Naib for one match. If that wasn’t enough, Zazai and Gulbadin had a go for one match, with Rahmat Shah and Gulbadin opening in the last three matches.

You can catch my thoughts on Afghanistan’s team management in earlier articles:

Rant: Afghanistan vs South Africa: Team management has hurt Afghanistan badly

Rant: Afghanistan vs Pakistan: What on EARTH was Gulbadin Naib thinking?

2. The last 10 overs prove crucial

As Bangladesh have found, the last 10 overs of an innings can turn a match. Afghanistan also found out the hard way.

Afghanistan were ahead of the West Indies up until the 40-over mark. In fact, Afghanistan were 20 runs better off than what the Windies were with 10 to go, but there was always the costly final 10 overs in the back of everyone’s mind. Shai Hope and Evin Lewis were steady in setting a platform, but Jason Holder and Nicholas Poortan were brilliant in elevating the Windies to 300+, scoring the bulk of the 111 runs in the final 60 balls.

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3. Ikram Ali Khil shows his talent

Subject of the Afghanistan batting merry-go-round was 18-year old Ikram Ali Khil. Brought into the side in rather controversial circumstances, Ali Khil started down at eight and nine. Promoted to four against Pakistan, he found timing and faster scoring difficult.

Here, he was promoted to three. He played a blinder, confirming Afghanistan have another youngster that can hold them in good stead for years to come. He was dismissed by Chris Gayle, who started his career before Ali Khil was even born. Afghanistan’s young keeper-batsman was aggressive, playing terrific shots down the ground in particular en route to becoming the fourth-youngest half-centurion in World Cups. He had Afghanistan hoping for a fine victory.

It didn’t materialise, but Afghanistan have a good cricketer on their hands as he develops physically and technically (both batting and wicketkeeping). Let’s hope the team management don’t go ruining things.

4. Kemar Roach surely the subject of regret for West Indies

Before West Indies’ first game against Pakistan, Michael Holding queried why neither Kemar Roach or Shannon Gabriel were playing. It didn’t matter that day, with Pakistan surrendering against any short-pitched bowling. However, as teams figured the Windies out, they really began to struggle.

Roach played four games in CWC 2019. One of them was washed out seven overs in. Given the one-dimensional nature of the Windies throughout the tournament, it is incredible to think that this is the case. In the three completed games, the most he conceded in a ten over spell was a miserly 38, taking six wickets along the way.

I am still in disbelief that they didn’t play him in the game against Bangladesh, where they were thrashed even after scoring 321. This game and the tournament itself showed the need for better balance in the Windies attack. Roach, at 31, needs to be backed to deliver the goods for the next few years.

5. West Indies need a wicket-taking spinner

It is time for the Windies to really invest in their younger players after a disappointing campaign. Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran can be mainstays in their batting lineup for years to come, building the core of their team. John Campbell, who wasn’t in the squad, can strike fast runs at the top if he is chosen as the man to eventually replace Chris Gayle.

However, the West Indies need a quality spinner in ODIs. While Ashley Nurse and Fabian Allen aren’t bad bowlers, they lack the wicket-taking threat that other sides in the tournament possess. This certainly contributed to the one-dimensional nature of West Indies’ attack, which they must look to improve on post-CWC 2019.

Thanks for reading!

Download: Making cricket an interactive experience! Discover Harrison Cricket Apps ODI version. For full screenshots, click here.