World Cup 2019: Five major highlights from the first week

#4 West Indies are equally lethal with the ball

West Indian pacers ripped through the Pakistani line-up with sheer pace and hostile bounce

West Indies were the last team to qualify for the World Cup, having to play the qualifying tournament and finishing as the runner-ups there. However, things started to fall in place just ahead of the World Cup when they beat England 2-1 in the home Test series. That was followed by a 2-2 series draw against the top ranked ODI side.

The drawn series saw the resurgence of the Caribbean side with the 39-year old Chris Gayle being at his destructive best. With a side full of talents like Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmeyer and the experience of Chris Gayle, Darren Bravo and Evin Lewis, followed by a series of powerful all-rounders in Jason Holder, Carlos Brathwaite and Andre Russell, West Indies had a fearful look to their batting.

The warm-up game saw them blast 421 against New Zealand. However, the only doubt about their chances was whether their bowling could stop other batting sides. Then happened their opening game against Pakistan, a side which had scored 340 plus in each of their last three games.

The West Indian bowling unit then showed their might as they made a mockery of the Pakistan batting, bundling them for 105. That was obviously not a fluke, because they ripped through the English side, getting them all out for 113 in their last ODI game before the World Cup.

With such a performance, the Caribbean pacers have shown they can beat oppositions with their raw pace and frightening bounce, even on the flat English wickets. This has made them an even more dangerous side to face.