“We also have the highly productive Motie.” – In the T20 World Cup, bowlers with the “X-factor” will be crucial, according to West Indies coach Sammy

West Indies head coach Daren Sammy told Reuters that bowlers with the “X-factor” could be the difference makers in the World Cup in June, as batter dominance in T20 cricket continues to rise.

The current Indian Premier League (IPL), where 200-plus scores have become the norm and 300 does not seem improbable anymore, exemplifies the batting bias of cricket’s shortest format.

Sammy, who led the West Indies to two T20 World Cup championships, anticipated more batting mayhem in the June main event.

The former all-rounder claimed in a phone interview while on his T20 World Cup trophy tour in Saint Lucia that bowlers “have been under the pump.” Every international bowler has experienced pressure; it’s not only the younger players. Check out the IPL currently. Teams are scoring 200, which is above the acceptable limit.

It indicates that T20 cricket is now being dominated by the batsmen. Teams would assemble squads full of powerful hitters, but Sammy believed that bowlers with unusual abilities or actions would be vital in the June 1-29 competition.

competition. Some bowlers with the X-factor will make a difference. You would need that in your arsenal to defend totals or limit opponents, regardless of pace or mysterious spin. He remarked that using sheer pace would be the alternative method of quieting the blazing bats.

From a batting point of view, Sammy said the current West Indies team was comparable to the sides that won the World Cups under his captaincy. Its bowling, however, would depend a lot on how the all-rounders contribute.

“Obviously I’d love to have the ‘X-factor’ that I had in 2012 and 2016, when I had two bowlers ranked among the top five. We don’t have that now. What we do have is Akeal Hosein, who’s ranked number three. We also have (Gudakesh) Motie, who’s very effective in the middle overs,” he said of his spin attack.

“We have guys like (pacer) Alzarri Joseph and the all-rounders that we had in 2016 as well, who could use the conditions to our advantage.”

West Indies captain Rovman Powell recently said he was trying to talk veteran spinner Sunil Narine, also an explosive opener, out of retirement.

Sammy, who recalled senior players including Andre Russell and Shimron Hetmyer since taking charge, was not sure about Narine’s availability.

“You’ve seen experienced guys coming back into the squad. I had the same conversation with Narine,” he said.

“We still continue to chat, but at the end of the day, if he is retired, he’s not available for selection.”