CricViz analyst Freddie Wilde picks Jamaica Tallawahs likely XI and identifies their strengths & weaknesses ahead of the 2020 CPL.
Likely XI
- Chadwick Walton – right-hander & wicket-keeper
- Glenn Phillips – right-hander
- Jermaine Blackwood – right-hander
- Rovman Powell – right-hander & right-arm medium
- Andre Russell – right-hander & right-arm fast medium
- Asif Ali – right-hander
- Carlos Brathwaite – right-hander & right-arm medium fast
- Oshane Thomas – right-arm fast
- Fidel Edwards – right-arm fast medium
- Mujeeb Ur Rahman – off spin
- Sandeep Lamichhane – leg spin
Squad players: Nicholas Kirton (left-hander – Emerging Player), Nkrumah Bonner (right-hander), Ramaal Lewis (off spinner), Preston McSween (left-arm fast medium), Veerasammy Permaul (left-arm finger spin), Ryad Persaud (leg spin)
Strengths
Power-hitting batsmen
Jamaica’s batting order is one of the most powerful ever assembled in T20 cricket. Among the 596 batsmen to have scored 1000 T20 runs six of Jamaica’s top seven rank in the top 100 for balls per six: Andre Russell is top, Carlos Brathwaite is eleventh, Asif Ali is 13th, Rovman Powell is 35th, Glenn Phillips is 91st and Chadwick Walton 99th. Russell, Brathwaite and Ali are six-hitting monsters but Powell, Philipps and Walton are also very effective at clearing the ropes as well. Jamaica’s batting this season has the potential to be very exciting. All of these players have a clear preference for pace bowling which makes the Tallawahs likely to enjoy the Powerplay and death over phases when most pace is bowled.
Powerplay bowling
The Tallawahs Powerplay bowling is very strong with the two spin bowlers Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Sandeep Lamichhane both being very effective in the phase with the quicks Russell, Oshane Thomas and Fidel Edwards capable of high speeds and aggressive lengths. Mujeeb’s defensive qualities are particularly well-suited to partnering with Sandeep and the quicks who generally hunt for wickets. No bowler in T20 history to have taken 25 wickets in the Powerplay has a lower strike rate in the phase than Sandeep’s 12 balls per wicket.
High quality spin
Not only in the Powerplay but across the 20 overs Mujeeb and Sandeep are two elite spin bowlers for Jamaica to call upon. There are plenty of superb spinners in the CPL this year but perhaps only Trinbago—with Sunil Narine and Fawad Ahmed—can boast such a brilliant frontline pair.
CRICVIZ PROFESSIONAL ANALYSIS
Weaknesses
Death bowling
The primary issue with the Tallawahs bowling is their death bowling. Their pace attack generally—led by Thomas but also featuring Russell, Edwards and Brathwaite—is potentially explosive but is unlikely to offer much control. This particular shortcoming is most likely to be exposed in the death overs when wickets are least valuable and run-saving is most important.
One-dimensional and right-hander heavy batting
If the strength of the Tallawahs batting order is their six-hitting capabilities; their weakness is the absence of a counterbalance to provide stability, rotate strike and anchor the innings. Phillips is the most likely to play this role—and he is capable of providing stability with relatively long innings—but his ability to stay busy and rotate the strike is in question, particularly on what are expected to be difficult pitches for batting. Another issue for Jamaica is the fact that of their likely top seven six of them are right-handers with only the Emerging Player Nicholas Kirton being a leftie. This leaves Jamaica vulnerable to leg spin and left-arm spin of which there is plenty in the CPL.
Freddie Wilde is an analyst at CricViz, @fwildecricket
