First look: West Indies

West Indies, who won the first two editions of the tournament and never looked like winning one in the last 15 years. Now it's no longer about the dearth of greats that they produced so frequently then, it's about the money (or lack of) in the game that has prompted the players to hunt for outside opportunities.

A look at the squad ....

WI began their preparations in the worst possible way with controversy surrounding their two celebrated cricketers (Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard) not making the final squad for the tournament. Not that these two have been stellar in this form of the game but their ability and experience definitely is not replaceable by the substitutes that have been selected. Also, having an inexperienced captain like Holder to lead the team in a high-pressure tournament is not going to help their chances.

Strengths -

Power hitting is something that comes naturally to a lot of WI batsman who frequent the T20 leagues around the world. On their day, the likes of Gayle, Smith, Samuels, Simmons, Sammy and Russell (minus Bravo and Pollard) can rack up big totals in 20 overs but their ability to put together a solid batting performance in 50 overs against quality attacks is a question mark. Sunil Narine is back for the tournament and that's a big boost to an attack in need of a leader.

Weaknesses - 

Lack of consistency in batting and bowling is going to be a big weakness of this side. Their batsman will need to take up responsibility and bowlers will need to form a disciplined attack to complement Narine for them to be a force at this World Cup. Also, they will have to guard against complacency that has bitten them in past tournaments against lesser teams. 

Prediction - WI are the fourth favorites to qualify for the quarter-finals from Group B behind SA, India and Pakistan bar major upsets. Ireland will definitely be eyeing that spot and I won't be surprised if this mercurial side has an off day for an early exit from the tournament.