Runs haven’t been easy to come for the West Indies top order in the last few years, but there has been an unprecedented choke since 2018
Shiva Jayaraman29-Aug-20192:16
West Indies respond better under pressure – Holder
West Indies have won five of the 13 Tests they have played since 2018. They have also lost seven. They have not been the most successful Test team in this period. But they also don’t have the worst win-loss record either. Pakistan and Bangladesh – among teams that have played at least ten matches during this period – have done worse.Each of those five wins though, have come on the back of a strong and rejuvenated pace attack at home. West Indies’ bowling attack has averaged the third-best in Tests since 2018. The highest any team has managed to score in these five Tests against them is 246, which England did in their second innings in Bridgetown. Only in two of the ten innings in these five matches have teams managed to top 200 against them. Their bowling is in fine fettle. But their batting is not.While their bowling attack is in the right half of the charts in Tests, their batting has let them down. West Indies’ batting average of 23.16 is 2 runs lower than the lowest established Test teams above them. The only teams that have done worse in terms of average are the new entrants in Test cricket – Ireland and Afghanistan. West Indies have had some good rearguard innings from their batsmen in the recent past, but most of them have come from their middle and lower-middle order. The combined average of West Indies batsmen at No. 5 and lower is the second-best for any team since 2018. It’s the top four that have been a cause for concern.ALSO READ: Kemar Roach 2.0: on course for fast-bowling greatness?In 13 Tests since 2018, their top four average a woeful 20.49 – the second lowest any team’s top four average during this period. Only Ireland have done worse. The next-lowest average for any team that has played at least ten matches since 2018 is Bangladesh’s 27.88.It is telling that the top four run-scorers for West Indies since 2018 bat outside their top four. Shane Dowrich who largely bats at No. 7 or lower for them leads this list with 678 runs scored at an average of 39.88. Jason Holder’s average of 47.07 is the highest among West Indies batsmen since 2018. Kraigg Brathwaite, who opens for them, manages to appear only on the fifth place in this list.ESPNcricinfo LtdIt’s no surprise then their batsman from No. 5 to No. 8 have a combined average that is significantly better than what their top four have collectively averaged in the last couple of years. West Indies’ middle and lower-middle order has averaged 32.61 runs since 2018 – a whopping 12 runs per dismissal more than their top four. West Indies’ top four have contributed just 37.18% of the total runs scored by their batsmen since 2018. This is the lowest contribution by any top four to their team during this period.ESPNcricinfo LtdBrathwaite is the only batsman batting before their No. 5 to hit a hundred in the last couple of years, both of which came in the home series against Bangladesh. But it’s been a drought otherwise: in 23 innings apart from those hundreds, Brathwaite has managed to score just 313 runs at an average of 14.90. He has been dismissed for single-digit scores in 11 of those 23 innings. The others don’t seem to be very different from Brathwaite in this aspect. Their top four has batted a combined 98 innings since 2018, but has got out without managing double-digit scores on 40 occasions. Among the top Test teams only Pakistan have done worse in terms of percentage of innings at No. 4 or earlier ending in single-digit scores.