DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – West Indies stand-in captain Brandon King has admitted that the regional team must address several shortcomings following their disappointing 2-1 T20I series loss to Afghanistan.
While the Windies managed a morale-boosting 15-run victory in the final match, their performances with both bat and ball across the series were below expectations. Fielding lapses compounded their struggles, leaving King under no illusion about the work required ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup next month.
Execution still key
King emphasized that, while the team had sound strategies, inconsistent execution prevented the Windies from capitalizing fully.
“The difference in this game was execution. We had similar plans in the first two games, but I think the guys did exceptionally well today. All the bowlers bowled brilliantly, and we really made it hard for them,” King said in a post-match interview.
He added that batting and fielding were priority areas for improvement. “Obviously, our batting needs some work, trying to not face as many dot balls throughout the innings to set up better for the hitters. And with our fielding, we dropped a few catches this series that kind of hurt us in restricting them in the first two games, so there are areas all around to improve.”
Ending on a positive note
Despite the series defeat, King welcomed the opportunity to conclude on a winning note, preventing a clean sweep by Afghanistan. He also highlighted the upcoming return of key players as a potential boost to the squad’s overall strength.
“Obviously it’s great to end on a winning note even though we lost the series. I don’t think the first two games showed what we’re really capable of; I think this is closer to what we can do. We have some other guys returning now after this series, so it will only make us stronger,” King reflected.
The Windies will hope to carry the lessons learned from this series into their T20 World Cup campaign, where they will look to defend their reputation as two-time champions and compete for a record third title.
