T20 World Cup 2021: "It is beyond my understanding" - Aakash Chopra says West Indies are playing 'Test cricket'

Aakash Chopra is perplexed by the West Indies' timid batting approach in both their T20 World Cup warm-up encounters.

West Indies scored just 130 runs in their allotted 20 overs in their first warm-up match against Pakistan and were handed a seven-wicket drubbing. They didn't fare any better in yesterday's clash against Afghanistan, scoring just 133 in a 190-run chase to lose by a whopping 56 runs.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra lambasted the West Indies batting approach. He said:

"It is beyond my understanding that there have been two consecutive encounters and West Indies have played as if they are playing Test cricket. They have lost a T20 match by 56 runs and they still had five wickets in hand."

The cricketer-turned-commentator was bewildered by the West Indies allowing Mohammad Nabi to bowl a miserly four-over spell when they were chasing a huge target. Chopra observed:

"The bowling team gave 15 runs as extras in that. Nabi in his four-over spell picked up three wickets, bowled two maidens and gave just two runs. I mean what is happening, someone explain at least."

Nabi scalped the wickets of Lendl Simmons, Evin Lewis and Shimron Hetmyer to rock the West Indian batting lineup. Naveen-ul-Haq and Karim Janat were the other two wicket-takers for Afghanistan.

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Aakash Chopra on the low strike rate of all West Indies batters

The West Indies did not field Chris Gayle against Afghanistan

Aakash Chopra highlighted that almost all West Indies batters played painstaking knocks. He pointed out:

"Lewis - 3 runs off 6 balls, Roston Chase made 54 runs off 58 balls, Hetmyer made two runs off ten balls, Pooran did score 35 runs off 26 deliveries but Russell made 11 off 16 deliveries."

The former India opener was flabbergasted by the West Indies not even trying to push the accelerator pedal when they had wickets in hand. Chopra elaborated:

"My question is you lose the match by 56 runs, you have lost only five wickets and you still have five in hand, how did you lose by 56 runs? Defending champions - what exactly is happening there, it is beyond my comprehension because they are playing cricket in a different way. The last match was also like this, West Indies is a strange side."

Kieron Pollard in the match against Pakistan and Nicholas Pooran against Afghanistan are the only West Indies batters to have held their own. The defending champions will hope to turn things around when they take on England in their first Super 12 encounter on Saturday.

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