OUR HISTORY
West Indies have been a dominant force in the ICC Men’s T20 tournament and are the only team to capture the title twice. Those two amazing triumphs are enshrined in the history of our cricketing culture. On both occasions, Daren Sammy led the side – in 2012 in Sri Lanka and in 2016 in India. But that’s not all, we have also reached the semi-finals in two more occasions – in 2009 in England and 2014 in Bangladesh.
Chris Gayle is the only man to make two centuries in the event’s history – on the opening night against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2007 he gatecrashed the event with 117 and against England, in Mumbai in 2016 he hammered 100 not out
Marlon Samuels is the only player to win the MVP of the Final on two occasions. In 2012 he played a masterclass against Sri Lanka with 78 and four years later he put England to the sword with another match-winning performance of 85 not out.
OUR TEAM
A new-look West Indies squad will be hoping to take an unprecedented third title under the guidance of captain Nicholas Pooran. Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein will be crucial to the West Indies’ chances of earning a third “ring”, while quicks like Obed McCoy, Jason Holder and Sheldon Cottrell will also be key factors. Three members of the team have tasted success in the tournament – Johnson Charles was a member of the 2012 and 2016 winning teams, while Holder and Evin Lewis were champions in 2016. Brandon King and Shamarh Brooks are in great form with the bat coming off of their CPL success, while allrounder Odean Smith could be an “X” factor with both bat and ball.
OUR SQUAD: (with shirt numbers)
Akeal Hosein – 21
FORMAT
This year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup takes place in three stages. The First Round sees two groups of four teams participating in a round-robin. The top two teams from each group progress to the Super 12 stage. The eight nations competing in the First Round consist of the four lowest-ranked nations to have automatically qualified for the tournament at the cut-off point – Namibia, Scotland, Sri Lanka and West Indies.
They will be joined by two teams from each of the Qualifier tournaments held in 2022. Ireland and UAE progressed in Qualifier A in Oman back in February, with Netherlands and Zimbabwe triumphing in Qualifier B in Zimbabwe in July.
The top team from Group A and the second team from Group B enter Group 1 of the Super 12s, with the top finishers in Group B and the second-placed side from Group A going into Group 2.
The Super 12 stage sees two groups of six play a round-robin, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the knock-out stage. The knock-out stage consists of two semi-finals and the Final at the MCG on November 13.
POINTS
In both the First Round and Super 12 group stages the following points system will apply:
Win: 2 points
Tie, no result or abandoned: 1 point
Loss or forfeit: 0 points
THE PRIZE
The most valuable prize is the iconic trophy which is designed and manufactured by Links of London. It is made of silver and rhodium; weighs approximately 7.5 kg and measures 51 cm in height with a width of 19 cm at the top and 14 cm at the base.
The total prize money is US$5.6 million, with all 16 teams to receive something. The tournament winners will get a hefty US$1.6m prize for lifting the trophy. The beaten finalists will get half of that. The two teams to lose in the semi-finals will each receive US$400,000. Teams will receive US$40,000 for each win in both the first round and Super 12 stages. The four teams that exit in the first round will receive a further US$40,000, while there will be US$70,000 for the eight Super 12 teams that don’t make the semi-finals.