West Indies vs. UAE: Date, Live Stream, TV Info, Cricket World Cup Preview
The West Indies face a must-win match in their final Pool B game against the United Arab Emirates if they’re to stand any chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals of this tournament.
Freddie Wilde of ESPN Cricinfo outlined the permutations that would see the Windies make it to the knockout phase:
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They should be pretty confident of winning the match, too. While the Caribbean islanders have been quintessentially inconsistent at this tournament so far, they have the requisite quality within their ranks to topple the Pool B whipping boys. Jason Holder will be hoping for experienced men like Chris Gayle, Dwayne Smith and Jerome Taylor to come to the fore.
However, the UAE haven’t been quite as poor as their results suggest and they will fancy their chances of capitalising on the Windies’ capricious nature.
Here’s all the information you need on how to see if the Associate nation can spring a surprise:
Date: Sunday, Mar. 15
Time: 10 p.m. (GMT, Mar. 14), 6 p.m. (ET, Mar. 14), 11 a.m. (Local)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), ESPN Cricket 2015 (US)
TV Info: Sky Sports 2 (UK)
West Indies Facing Must-Win Encounter
There was always a sense that the Windies’ first match of the group stages against Ireland may come back to haunt them at this competition. While Holder and his men have regrouped since then, that win for the men in green served as superb momentum and now the two-time winners of this competition face a real fight for their last-eight place.
But aside from some uncharacteristically moody weather Down Under or a tie between Pakistan and Ireland in their match, a win in this fixture should be enough for the West Indies. They have the players to get over the line too, it’s a case of this frustrating team putting it all together under pressure.
They may have to do it without one of their star men, however, per Cricket Australia:
If Gayle isn’t available, that shifts the emphasis onto other members of this squad to stand up and be counted. Holder is a man who his team-mates will definitely be looking to for inspiration if that’s the case, but his bowling and captaincy have both been a little erratic at the tournament so far.
Some of his decision making out in the field in particular has been rather baffling, but as noted during the West Indies’ loss to India in their previous encounter, there are plenty of underpinning issues that have hampered this side:
It’s imperative that they set an aggressive tempo against the UAE, though. While the Associate nation have lost every game at the tournament so far, they’re an outfit that have showcased a lot of talent in segments throughout the group stages.
While they’ve failed to keep levels high for an entire match as of yet, with the pressure off in their final game, it certainly could happen here.
In Shaiman Anwar they have one of the tournament’s outstanding batsmen too. He’s showcased the admirable trait of being adaptable to myriad situations in this UAE XI and, as noted by Geoff Lemon of The Guardian, is among the top run-scorers at the tournament:
But the significance of this game should refocus the attentions of this West Indies team. Barring a downpour or a draw in the match between Pakistan and Ireland, a win here guarantees their spot in the last eight. After losing to Ireland in their first game, to recover so well represents a big achievement for this squad.
They’ll have enough to get through this one and although a tricky quarter-final tie looks inevitable, the Windies will be acutely aware that when it comes to the knockout phases of a tournament, absolutely anything can happen.
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