In the recently concluded Test series between India and West Indies, the Indian fast bowlers were all over the Windies batsmen as they found it hard to cope up with their pace and swing. On some occasions, they even hit them with terrific bouncers which undid the Windies batsmen time and again. For a person who had followed the West Indies cricket during their dominance from the 1970s to the 1990s would find it very hard to relate the present condition of the Windies team.
They were by far the most dominant team during this period and all the top teams found it really difficult to beat them even in their own backyard, let alone winning in West Indies. The team was packed with superstars with each and every member of the team capable of destroying their opposition either with the ball or bat.
Though the present West Indies team hasn’t performed to their potential in Tests and ODIs but they are the world beaters as far as T20 cricket is concerned. They have some serious power hitters in their ranks who can decimate any bowling attack on their given day.
So with T20 becoming more and more popular with each passing day you might think how would have the dominant West Indies side from the 1980s performed in the game’s shortest format.
Here we bring you five West Indies batsmen from the older generation who might have excelled even in the T20 format
#5 Clive Lloyd
The first ever captain to win a cricket World Cup, Clive Llyod was one of the most respected cricketers of his generation. With his big glasses, he looked more of a professor than a cricketer on the field, but with the bat in the hand, he literally decimated bowling attacks from all around the world. His astute tactical brain was instrumental in West Indies ruling the cricketing world for two decades.
Llyod’s brilliant century in the 1975 World Cup final against Australia is still considered one of the finest ODI innings. In a generation where other batsmen found it difficult to keep a strike of 60, Llyod scored 102 in a mere 85 balls. His magnificent innings was decorated with 12 fours and 2 sixes. Courtesy of his innings, West Indies won the inaugural World Cup.
The left-hander played a total of 87 ODIs scoring 1977 runs at an impressive average of 39. He also had a brilliant strike rate of 81. Taking his ODI record into account in that generation, Llyod would have definitely succeeded in the shortest format of the game.
#4 Desmond Haynes
One of the most prolific run-getters in ODI cricket and an amazing opening batsman of the golden period in West Indies, Desmond Haynes made his ODI debut for West Indies in 1978. He possessed a solid muscularity while batting and was capable of destroying any serious bowling attacks on his day. Opening the batting, Haynes tended to play second fiddle to the more belligerent Gordon Greenidge but was a destructive batsman in his own rights.
His brilliant 148 in his debut innings against Australia remains the highest score by a debutant in ODI cricket as well as the fastest century by a debutant. Haynes remains one of the only two players to have scored a century in his first ODI and last ODI, the only other being English batsman Dennis Amiss.
#3 Gordon Greenidge
A destructive opening batsman, the man from Barbados was one of the feared opening batsmen during his time and with Desmond Haynes, the duo was a nightmare to any bowling attacks.
Greenidge made his Test debut against India in 1974 at Bangalore. He made a century in his debut innings and followed it up with a 90 in the 2nd. His whirlwind 214 against England on the final day of a Test match in Lord’s enabled West Indies to chase down a mammoth 342 on the final day. This is still the record 4th innings winning total at Lord’s.
To go with his outstanding Test career, Greenidge was a destructive ODI batsman and gave West Indies a flying start on most occasions. Greenidge scored his first ODI century against India in the 1979 World Cup and followed it up with 10 more before calling an end to his career.
Greenidge finished his ODI career with 5,134 runs at an impressive average of 45.03. He would have been a handy top order batsman if he had played the T20 format.
#2 Sir Garfield Sobers
The greatest all rounder of all time, Sir Garfield Sobers would have been a great addition for West Indies in the T20 format. Though Sobers played only 1 ODI, his aggressive batting in Tests is enough to prove his destructive approach.
His exceptional Test batting average tells very little about the manner in which he scored his runs which was marked by elegant yet powerful strokeplay. He had every shot in the cricketing book up his sleeve but was more dominant on the off side. He would have made the Test team as a bowler alone. He was a versatile spinner bowling two kinds of spin up his sleeve. The traditional left arm orthodox as well as wrist spin.Sobers scored his maiden century against Pakistan in 1958 and expanded it to 365 beating Len Hutton’s 364 set in 1938. It was a terrific innings by the legend after he failed to realise his potential in the first few matches of his career.
Sobers played 93 Test in his career scoring 8,032 runs at a staggering average of 57.78.
#1 Sir Vivian Richards
A player who will directly walk into any playing XI of the modern generation, Sir Vivian Richards will go down in the history of the game as one of the greatest batsmen to grace the game. He had a different mindset from every batsman of his generation and used to dominate the bowlers from the word go.
Richards scored a brilliant 189* against England in 1984 which was the highest individual ODI score before Saeed Anwar broke it in 1997 scoring 194 against India. His innings was decorated with 21 fours and 5 sixes. In 3 years time, Richards followed it up with another gigantic score of 181 against Sri Lanka in the 1987 Reliance World Cup. He smashed 7 sixes and 16 fours in his explosive knock.
Richards played his last ODI against England in 1991. He finished his career with 6721 runs at an astonishing strike rate of 90.20. He also scored at a healthy average of 47.
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