Upbeat West Indies ready to rumble despite poor form

By Brandon Corlette

The two-time defending World T20 champions, West Indies, are ready to get the ball rolling when they meet England today (Saturday, October 23) from 10:00h Eastern Caribbean time.

Speaking on the eve of their opening match, Windies captain Keiron Pollard was wearing the armory of full confidence. West Indies won three of their last five completed T20 matches, but lost the two warm-up matches.
Despite the team’s most recent form, Pollard has said, the camp is upbeat. “The mood is upbeat. We accept that the two warm-up games did not go as we wanted in terms of scoring runs and the intent. We had a good couple days of intense sessions, and players understanding roles and responsibilities. We have a sense that the guys are up for starting the tournament,” Pollard indicated.
West Indies are known for power hitting, but soaking up dot balls has been a major issue. Pollard disclosed that a lot of work has been done to rectify this issue. “A lot of work has been done. The guys have worked tirelessly to try and cover all bases. As I continue to say, we try to keep our strengths our strengths and work on our weaknesses, and we accept certain things; so, hopefully, we can see the difference,” Pollard explained.

The injury-prone world-class all-rounder Andre Russell has been a major concern for the West Indies, and he was not fully fit in the warm-up against Afghanistan. Despite the Russell concern, Pollard and his unit are still capable of producing optimum performance. “We have our last practice session, and we will have a last look and see if he is confident. He played the last warm up game, and he had a trial run, but there was a little bit of a rust,” Pollard added.
In that warm-up match, West Indies struggled against quality spin, but Pollard and his men are confident they will counter it. “For us, it is a mindset, and we have worked really hard. We are very confident, and we believe in each and every individual,” he said.

He also said the electric all-rounder Fabian Allen is a big miss for the team. “That is the nature of sport, and we try to bounce off quickly and not let this keep us down, and we have an able replacement in Akeal Hosein.”
The West Indies are looking to play a good brand of cricket and defend the T20 World Cup title. Pollard said the West Indies have accepted that the non-services of Sunil Narine is a big blow, and they will have to deal with the players that are in the squad.
Pollard said there is no concern, the men in maroon just want to start the tournament well, and the team has reposed confidence in each and every player to do the job.

WEST INDIES’ FULL SQUAD
Kieron Pollard (Captain), Nicholas Pooran (Vice Captain), Dwayne Bravo, Roston Chase, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Akeal Hosein, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr.
Travelling Reserves: Darren Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Jason Holder and Gudakesh Motie

ICC T20 World Cup Schedule
West Indies Match Schedule
October 23: v England in Dubai (6pm UAE Time, 10am Eastern Caribbean/9am Jamaica)
October 26: v South Africa in Dubai (2pm UAE Time, 6am Eastern Caribbean/5am Jamaica)
October 29: v B2 in Sharjah (2pm UAE Time, 8am Eastern Caribbean/7am Jamaica)
November 4: v A1, in Abu Dhabi (6pm UAE Time, 10am Eastern Caribbean/9am Jamaica)
November 6: v Australia in Abu Dhabi (2pm UAE Time, 6am Eastern Caribbean/5am Jamaica)

SEMI-FINALS
November 10: Group 1 winner v Group 1 second in Abu Dhabi (6pm UAE Time, 10am Eastern Caribbean /9am Jamaica)
November 11: Group B winner v Group A second in Dubai (6pm UAE Time, 10am Eastern Caribbean/9am Jamaica)

FINAL
November 14: Final in Dubai (6pm UAE Time, 10am Eastern Caribbean/9am Jamaica)