As ICC World Twenty20 hosts West Indies are under huge pressure to put together a successful run in the competition.

    At first glance it would not appear to be the easiest of tasks.

    The West Indies’ recent record in international T20 cricket does little to foster confidence in the team.

    In February they lost both matches in an away series against Australia before they lost, at home, to Zimbabwe by 26 runs.

    However, Trinidad and Tobago’s second placed finish in the Champions League Twenty20 showed that the Windies have players capable of playing the game at a very high level.

    Captain Chris Gayle has gone on record as saying that T20 cricket is West Indies’ best chance of achieving major international success and, individually, the team does posses players that are capable of winning the World Twenty20.

    Gayle’s biggest job will be welding a group of players from a variety of different countries into an effective unit that does not wilt under the pressure of playing at home.

    Gayle himself is one of world cricket’s most destructive batsmen as evidenced by his T20 international strike-rate of almost 145.

    He was the first man to score an international T20 century and remains one of only two men to have achieved the feat.

    Gayle’s underrated off-spin makes him a useful cog in West Indies’ bowling attack which will be spearheaded by arguably one of world cricket’s most exciting young fast bowling talents, Kemar Roach.

    Roach, the 21-year-old Barbadian, has an enviable one-day international record of 26 wickets at an average of just 21.3.

    His international T20 stats are far less impressive, just two wickets in five matches, but his out-and-out speed makes him a difficult customer to deal with. So difficult in fact that Ricky Ponting was forced to retire hurt during a recent test match after being struck by a Roach thunderbolt.

    Roach is ably backed up by a trio of veteran pacemen in Jerome Taylor, Darren Sammy and Ravi Rampaul while the imposing left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn, who stands six foot 7 inches tall, is a crafty exponent of his art.

    The Windies’ batting line-up has the potential to be one of the most destructive in the World Twenty20.

     Gayle will open the batting while the experience in the batting order will be provided by Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan.

    Kieron Pollard will be expected to provide the fireworks in the middle-order.

The right-handed Pollard, who is also a more than useful medium-pace bowler, has the ability to tear bowling attacks apart.

    He announced himself on the world stage by thrashing 54 runs off 18 balls against New South Wales for Trinidad and Tobago during the Champions League Twenty20 last year.

    His international T20 results have not been as impressive, with a highest score of just 38 in 13 matches, but he remains a potential match-winner.

    Dwayne Bravo is a top-class all-rounder and he will help to balance out the Windies’ line-up.

    West Indies will face England and Ireland during the initial group stage of the World Twenty20 and if the hosts can emerge from their group with a couple of wins under their belt the ensuing momentum could make them one of the outside bets to win the entire competition.