Walsh believes team off to decent start in ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup

…urges not to let guard down

The West Indies women have registered their first win, over Ireland, in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in Harare, Zimbabwe, and Head Coach of the side, Courtney Walsh, believes his side has gotten off to a decent start in the bid to qualify for the 2022 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.

In a statement, Walsh said, “It was a good game; they got off to a decent start, but we were able to get a couple of wickets and were able to peg them back. We managed to bowl them out in the end, which was very good for us, and I think the batters did extremely well. Deandra did well, supported by the skipper very well in the batting department; we were very happy with that. I think on the field we were a little bit slow, but once Anisa broke the partnership, the girls got into it and got a couple of wickets, and Hayley bowled pretty well, I think, and once we got those wickets, we were able to take control and dominate the game.”
Walsh noted that it is very important to always win your first game, owing to the fact that it would give the team the confidence and, most importantly, the much-needed points. Walsh noted that, at all times, it is important to get the rust out, as he is extremely happy with the way the ladies returned and composed themselves. While the ladies were a bit sluggish at the start, Walsh posited, a win is a win at the end of the day, and that was well deserved.
Walsh relayed that with one team not in the group, it is important that West Indies win all their group games, so they are able to take all the points over into the Super Six, which would give them a better standing and ensure they are in the top three.
The Windies women will now lock horns with Sri Lanka on Saturday, and Walsh believes the Sri Lankans are a tough opponent, but he said the team cannot take anything for granted. “We just have to focus on our play, keep improving in the departments that we are doing well in, and keep focusing on what we need to do against the opposition. And once we don’t relax and drop our guards, we can give a good account of ourselves,” Walsh noted.
He added that he believes the team is in good head space in terms of winning, getting good partnerships, having good bowling combinations, doing reasonably well in the field; and he opined that once they keep improving, they would only get better.