KOLKATA, India (CMC):
On the eve of their opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, West Indies head coach Daren Sammy did not mince words when asked what he felt his team’s chances were of winning the tournament for an unprecedented third time.
“We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t believe we could win. It feels like the same scenario 10 years ago where everything that was against us, nobody gave us a chance and I’m looking at the guys and the calibre of talent that we have in that dressing room,” Sammy said in a pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of their match against Scotland.
“If we go out and execute with both ball and bat, and also in the field, we are in it to win it … We’re here at the World Cup and we believe that we can have an impact and that impact will take us to win it. It will take a massive effort from everyone, but one that is not impossible.
“…It’s going to be a fun tournament, but we really have to be on the ball … I watch these guys played that series in South Africa, I watched them here, and yes, the results haven’t been good, but there is something in those guys’ eyes that makes me believe that we can go all the way.
“We’re here, starting at Eden Gardens, a place with so many memories and history and I’m pretty sure that will inspire the guys, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow and taking it one game at a time,” the two-time World Cup winning head coach added.
Sammy, however, admitted that their first opponents in the competition could not be taken lightly.
In fact, he said he did not consider the West Indies, who are ranked seventh in the ICC’s T20 rankings as favourites against 14th ranked Scotland.
He said while Scotland had beaten the Windies at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, the team was not focused on past results.
“Scotland has always been a tricky opponent, but when you go in a tournament you trust in the preparations that you’ve put in and when you prepare well you give yourself the best chance of performing.
“If you’re going to go in and doubt and think of the past, ‘Oh they’ve beaten us before in the tournament’ then you’re already behind the eight ball. I think the way these guys have prepared, the way we’ve managed to have guys who are in form, and the belief that you have in yourself and the team is that you deserve to win and you go out and play like you deserve to win,” Sammy said.
“But like we’ve seen in T20 cricket, the shorter the games the closer it brings the teams. So I will not sit down and say that we are favourites. We have to execute a good game of cricket every single time for us to win and that’s what we’ve come to do.”
Just as they did in 2016 to lift their second title, Sammy said he believed the West Indies would have to go through India to win a historic third trophy.
“Nobody is winning this World Cup if they don’t go through India, whether you have to beat them in a knockout stage, whether it be a semifinal or a final, they are the favourites. Every team has to play really well to beat India at home. It’s their cup to lose,” he said.
