Sheldon Cottrell gave Windies reason to cheer amid dreary World Cup campaign

WORLD CUP PLAYER REPORT CARD: Thomas Blow runs the rule over the performances of each of the West Indies' players during their disappointing World Cup

Jason Holder

(x matches, x runs, ave x, x wickets, ave x)

Very few positives for the skipper. With the bat, he’s only managed one half-century at 24.28. With the ball, it’s just eight wickets at 42.87. In terms of his captaincy, he’s failed to find a settle unit, and his use of the bowlers hasn’t been the great either. Also, West Indies lost on six occasions – a below par effort considering the talent at Holder’s disposal. As captain, he must take some responsibility for this.

D-

Chris Gayle

Grade D-

A poor end to a glittering ODI career (or at least, we think it is). The Universe Boss scored just 242 runs at 30.25, with a strike rate well below 100 (88.32). The big-hitting superstar we’ve all come to know and love just wasn’t at the race this summer. The only saving grace for Gayle was his cameo with the ball – we’ll all remember him taking those two wickets while wearing those ridiculous sunglasses.

Fabian Allen

Grade D

Not a great tournament for Allen. He only played three games and didn’t do too much. 51 runs at 25.5 with the bat and just the single wicket with the ball. Not too much more to say really.

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Carlos Brathwaite

Grade B-

A valiant effort from this mercurial allrounder. Playing eight out of nine matches, Braithwaite struck at 106.2 and claimed 9 wickets at 35.88. He will be remembered for his brilliant century against New Zealand, when he was literally yards away from dragging West Indies to the most remarkable victory.

Darren Bravo

Grade E

Should have stayed at home. In three lacklustre appearances and two innings for West Indies, Bravo scored just 19 runs. After his duck against Pakistan, he World Cup was effectively over when he was dropped, and Shai Hope was moved down the order.

Sheldon Cottrell

Grade B

West Indies’ best player. Although his bowling figures were modest – 12 wickets at 32.66 – the bowler with the iconic celebration gave everything for the cause. He also fielded excellently. That catch to dismiss Steve Smith on the boundary will go down as one of the greatest in World Cup history.

Shannon Gabriel

Grade D

Very little from this reserve bowler. He delivered just 123 balls in the tournament; taking 2 wickets at 86.5. Gabriel’s remains a red-ball specialist.

Shimron Hetmyer

Grade C

A slightly disappointing campaign from this talented young player. After his performances against England in the Caribbean, much was expected from Hetmyer. But 257 runs at 36.71 was never going to be good enough to get West Indies into the last four. That said, at just 22, he’ll have a few more chances to win the World Cup just yet.

Shai Hope

Grade D+

There was a lot of hope placed on this man’s shoulders heading into the tournament (pun intended). Ranked the fifth best ODI batsman in the world by the ICC, West Indies expected their gun batter to deliver. But he couldn’t handle the pressure. He made just 274 at 34.25 and looked fragile at the top of the order.

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Evin Lewis

Grade D

Another disappointing performer. Lewis failed to find fitness and form in the tournament, making just 131 at 26.20. A shadow of the player that scored 176 not out against England in 2017.

Ashley Nurse

Grade E+

20 runs and no wickets in four matches. Nothing much more you can say really. Oh, there’s his strike rate, which was 76.92. Slightly better than Bravo

Nicholas Pooran

Grade C+

A decent performance from this young talent. The T20 star was West Indies top scorer in the tournament with 367 runs at 52.42. He also had a strike rate of 100.27, which is very good considering the top order failed on many occasions. At 23, Pooran has many World Cups left in him.

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Kemar Roach

Grade C+

Bowled well when called upon. 6 wickets at 20.16 and 4 maidens from a player who gives few chances to the batsman. West Indies will be disappointed Roach only played in four matches though, as he could have had a very good tournament if called upon earlier. At 31, its unlikely he’ll play another World Cup match.

Oshane Thomas

Grade C-

A slightly under-par World Cup for Thomas. With 9 wickets at 42.22, he was overshadowed by his fellow fast bowlers. There’s no doubt the 22-year-old will learn from this experience and will be a probable selection for the 2023 and 2027 tournaments, but West Indies might regret selecting him in all nine matches when Roach was waiting in the wings.

Andre Russell

Grade C

A player which showed such promise, but not the joints to go with it. Bowling at 90mph and striking at 124.13, Russell was West Indies’ quickest bowler, best finisher and their only chance at making the last four. But, having played one ODI between November 2015 and the start of the tournament, Russell was not accustomed to the strains of 50-over cricket. His body gave way, and so did his team’s hopes. At 31, one predicts he’ll stick to T20 from now on.

Our coverage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is brought to you in association with Cricket 19, the official video game of the Ashes. Order your copy now at Amazon.co.uk