Cricket World Cup 2019, Australia vs West Indies: Oshane Thomas, West Indies Player To Watch
It has been quite a while that a genuine match-winning West Indies fast bowler has been seen in action. Oshane Thomas could possibly fill that slot well.
West Indies, always the home of fearsome fast bowlers, seemed to have lost the plot when they were reduced to using mediocre medium-pacers for a long time during the early 2000s as the Caribbean cricket industry was taken over by athletics, football and American sports that demanded big guys. But the arrival of Oshane Thomas on the scene comes as welcome relief, since here is a genuine fast bowler reminiscent of the heydays of West Indian cricket. And Pakistan were the first team to face the chin music as Oshane Thomas blasted away to claim four wickets as the Pakistani batsmen had few answers.
The 22-year-old Jamaican keeps it simple - bowl fast and straight and use the bouncer effectively. This mantra was behind the West Indies stopping Pakistan for just 105 runs in their first World Cup 2019 encounter, as they coasted to a seven-wicket win.
Oshane Thomas is still new to One-day International (ODI) cricket. He made his debut against India at Guwahati in October 2018 and was in for a hammering as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli both scored centuries, returning figure of 1/83.
However, things have improved for the young fast bowler. He has so far played 10 ODIs, claiming 19 wickets at an economy of 7.00 but a strike rate of 19.8.
He already has one five-wicket haul and another four-for, his best figures being 5/21.
West Indies Cricket Team
Oshane Thomas