'Kings of Cricket' to 'T20 Mercenaries': Decoding West Indies cricket's never ending woes

The West Indies cricket team faced a disappointing exit from the Cricket World Cup 2023 after they failed to beat Scotland in the super six stage of the World Cup Qualifiers. The main round of the tournament will be held in India from October 5, 2023. Reigning champions England and New Zealand will take on each other in the inaugural match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. 

3 things you need to know 

• West Indies are the two-time champions of the ODI World Cup
• West Indies have won the first two editions of the Prudential Cup in 1975 and 1979 
• West Indies were also able to make it to the main round of the T20 World Cup 2022

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The main reasons behind West Indies' downfall in international cricket

The West Indies cricket team is known for veterans like Sir Vivian Richards, Malcolm Marshall, Curtly Ambrose, Chris Gayle, Brian Lara, and many more but now is having a lean period in international cricket. The team's top players like Andre Russell and Sunil Narine are not a part of the team and are playing in various T20 leagues all over the world.

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A look at some of the main reasons behind the downfall of the West Indies in international cricket: 

• Best Players not getting a chance: The West Indies cricket team faced an early exit from the T20 World Cup 2022 after they failed to qualify for the marquee round and were eliminated from the qualifiers. A month before the T20 World Cup 2022, WICB chief selector Desmond Haynes had revealed that the absence of key players was the main reason behind the early exit of the two World T20 champions. This includes players like Andre Russell and Sunil Narine who play more in the T20 leagues
• Players' dispute with WICB: Back in the year 2015, former West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo had released a statement against the West Indies Cricket Board. Bravo had said that it is one of the most unprofessional boards in the world and the politics rule too much over there. The tussle though, is way old than this when in the year 2014, the West Indies cricket team left the five-match ODI series against India midway due to the payment structure issue with their board. 
• Existing players failing to deliver on the occasion: At last, the present generation of the West Indies cricket team has not stepped up to the occasion. From times when players like Vivian Richards and Clive Lloyd single-handedly led the team to world cup wins. The losses against Zimbabwe, Scotland, and the Netherlands explains that the problem in the West Indies cricket team is way bigger than it seems. 

The West Indies cricket team last qualified for an ICC event in the year 2021, when they made it to the T20 World Cup held in UAE. The team also missed the 2017 edition of the Champions Trophy which was held in England.