West Indies suffered a 124-run loss to Ireland in the first ODI on Wednesday.
West Indies suffered a shock 124-run loss to Ireland in the first ODI in Dublin on Wednesday as their first step towards the 2027 ODI World Cup began on a disappointing note. Having been asked to bat first, the Ireland batters put up a dominant performance to post a total of 303/6 from 50 overs.
Andrew Balbirnie (112) scored a century and he was supported by fifties from skipper Paul Stirling (54) and Harry Tector (56). Lorcan Tucker scored an 18-ball 30, hitting three four during his knock.
West Indies’ top and middle-order batters collapsed during their run-chase. Roston Chase (55), Justin Greaves (35) and Matthew Forde (38) were left with a lot to do after lack of support from the West Indies’ earlier batters. The Shai Hope-led side were eventually dismissed for 179 in 34.1 overs.
West Indies are currently in eighth place in the ICC ODI rankings and it is the top eight teams in the rankings, barring host nations, who will qualify directly for the showpiece tournament. Which means that West Indies are still very much in contention to qualify, but will need to consistently win matches.
Here are three takeaways from the first Ireland-West Indies ODI, looking at what the Caribbean side have to do in a bid to secure direct qualification for the 2027 ODI World Cup:
Apart from Shamar Joseph, Alzarri Joseph and Matthew Forde, the only other backup pacer for West Indies is Jayden Seales. However, Jayden Seales has not done well in his short ODI career thus far, taking just 13 wickets in 17 matches. More so, the 23-year-old has taken two wickets or more in a match on just two occasions.
Shamar Joseph is also new to the ODI setup having played just a couple of matches and taken a solitary wicket. On Wednesday, Joseph endured wicketless figures of 0/51 from seven overs. Matthew Forde, who has taken 16 wickets from nine matches, has showcased better consistency, but the pace bowling unit have to click together.
Forde, though, has shown promise with the bat too and even scored 38 runs in Wednesday’s match. With the Windies having moved on from Jason Holder and Andre Russell, Forde seems like a pace bowling all-rounder whom they can count on.
In the spin bowling department, Gudakesh Motie is a decent choice but West Indies might have to play fellow spinner Roston Chase in a bid to balance the side. Add to the fact that Justin Greaves is not a much reliable medium pacer, having taken just one wicket in seven matches.
West Indies’ batting lineup still relies on the senior players to do well. Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer are a couple of those players who are relied upon, as well as Sherfane Rutherford.
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Rutherford, though, has been in top form in ODIs recently. In 2024, Rutherford scored 425 runs from nine ODIs at an average of 106.25, including one century. This means that he shows promise and can deliver as per the situation of a particular match.
West Indies might have endured a top and middle-order failure on Wednesday, but overall, their batting unit remains promising. There have been several new faces, including Amir Jangoo, who scored an unbeaten century on ODI debut against Bangladesh last year. Keacy Carty, another promising batter, aggregated 560 runs from 12 ODIs last year.
Shai Hope’s strike-rate has increased, even having touched 100 in 2023. Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer are mainstays whereas Sherfane Rutherford can also be counted on. An Under-19 World Cup sensation from 2024, Jewel Andrews, is also waiting in the wings. So, as far as batting is concerned, there are positive signs for West Indies.
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