The team preview excersise is almost at its fag end with just two teams remaining : the 1983 world cup winners and the runners up.
West Indies are the only country after Australia(or before) to have won the World Cup 2 times. But the last of their victory came good 32 years back. The nearest they came to winning a title after the major upset of 1983 was in 1996 in India - Pakistan when they choked in the semi-final to lose by 4 runs.
Since then its been a poor story for the once strong team in ODIs.
World Cup History
West Indies were the original winners in 1975 and 1979 when they were at the peak of their powers. They had an unimaginable strong team in Haynes, Greenidge, Richards, Lloyd and the bowlers like Marshall, Garner, Roberts and the Whispering Death Michael Holding. They were expected to win the 1983 edition too but they lost to India may be due to complacency or may be due to the Indian seamers were too good on that day. May be the Indian hunger to establish itself on world stage got better of them. Since then the Windies reached semis only once in 1996.
Despite of heroics of Viv Richards and generosity of Courteny Walsh, they failed to make past the first round in 1987 in subcontinent and that marked the decline of their fortunes. They were knocked out again in first round in Australia 1992 though they had good team then. They made it to the semis fumbling and tottering to choke in the end to lose by 4 runs in 1996. 1999, 2003 were sordid affairs and they started off well in their own world cup in 2007 but ended up losing in the super eights.
Current Run Up
Though Chandu feels they can make it this time, but the form has been so poor for them that they have not beaten a test side in last 20 months. They have also lost to a team like Sri Lanka.
They have been bogged down by contract issues, player loyalty issues and captaincy issues. Gayle, Pollard and Dwayne Bravo have refused central contracts thus leaving them to play in cash rich T20 leagues than for the team.
The team not only lacks motivation but also the will power to do good in the international arena.
Team
Gayle, Barath, Chandu, Bravo, Baugh, Benn, Roach, Miller, Pollard, Sammy, Darren Bravo, Sarwan, Ravi Rampal, Russell and Devon Smith
Expectations
Not much, if they are able to get past the quarters they would be akin to winning the world cup. Hoping that they would lose to the strong teams -- England, India and SA, they would need to beat all the minnows and hope they turn up on the good side against Bangladesh and only then they would be in the quarters.
