Ian Bishop says Windies lack wrist spinner
West Indies legend Ian Bishop said the team is missing a wrist spinner despite starting their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a win over Scotland. He also highlighted workload concerns for coach Daren Sammy and captain Shai Hope ahead of England clash
Hyderabad: West Indies began their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a 35-run win over Scotland in Kolkata and will be eager to continue their winning momentum against England tomorrow.
Speaking on JioStar’s ‘The Experts’ View’, West Indies legend Ian Bishop said, “The West Indies are missing key pieces, particularly a wrist spinner. We haven’t found one and given him enough experience yet. A couple of the guys at the top, their batting isn’t as consistent as it should be, but they’ve got power.”
“They’ve got some young fast bowlers. If they’re fit, Jayden Seales is getting slightly better, but they are still not where I think they should have been after the last T20 World Cup in the Caribbean in 2024,” Bishop said.
“They did better. I thought they could have gone further, so I still don’t know where to place them. The talent is there. It’s whether they can bring it all together,” he added.
On the workload of West Indies Head Coach Daren Sammy and white-ball captain Shai Hope, Bishop said: “For the West Indies, there are a couple of things. They have Daren Sammy as coach across all formats.
“Shai Hope now plays all formats, so the energy they are expending and the planning that has to be done, while they are concentrating on Test cricket and 50-over cricket to qualify for the next World Cup, means their backroom staff have to be broad-minded enough to also plan for T20s and alleviate that workload from Shai Hope and, to some extent, from Daren Sammy.”
