World Cup 2015February 1, 2015
WI unlikely to make it to quarterfinals - Smith
23:27'Absence of key players can hurt WI'
West Indies have struggled with turmoil in the build-up the World Cup. Dwayne Bravo was sacked as ODI captain and left out of the squad along with allrounder Kieron Pollard, and Sunil Narine has withdrawn from the squad. In this episode of the CONTENDERS, former India captain Rahul Dravid and former South Africa captain Graeme Smith reflect on West Indies' prospects in the tournament. Can the two-time champions rise from the disarray? Can new captain Jason Holder inspire a strong run? And can superstars such as Chris Gayle stamp their class on the tournament?
What they said about…
West Indies' difficult build-up
Dravid: I think there's not a lot of stability in the team. If you look at the team there is a lot of talent, but I don't know whether they are organised enough.
Smith: They bring a lot of character to the game. When you look at their team having left out high-quality players for behind-the-scenes stuff, it's disappointing because you lose out on players that people love to watch.
Holder as captain
Dravid: Till six months ago, he would have probably been thinking, "I'd like to be able to play the World Cup as a player." Till six-eight months ago he would have not even been sure of his place in the squad.
Smith: With everything that's going on, managing personalities and getting the best out of them is going to be a challenge. So how he gets them to play as a team is going to be unique for him and it's asking a lot out of a young fast bowler.
Chris Gayle's importance
Dravid: He's got the ability, it's just a question of whether he's in the right frame of mind and he's physically fit enough to be able to do that over a long tournament.
Smith: You could come up against him, he could get a hundred and that could beat you. That's the challenge you face with someone like him. He's a powerhouse player.
Marlon Samuels' role
Dravid:Like a lot of the West Indies players, not really consistent. Brilliant on the day, really fantastic to watch on the day, but not really consistent enough to do it day-in day-out, over and over again.
Smith: He's got a real strut around him, a personality, a form of arrogance, a unique batting style. I think he plays spin really well and he's got a nice balance between knocking the ball around and a power game.
How far the side can go
Dravid: I think they'll make the quarterfinals and they'll be a dangerous team. Teams may not necessarily want to play them in the quarterfinals because they've got the kind of players who on their day can win you a game.
Smith: I'm going to take a flyer and say they're not going to go through. I'm going to back one of the minnows to qualify heading in. Just on their day if they don't wake up, they can easily be beaten.