West Indies eye strong start against New Zealand, says Sammy

West Indies Head Coach Daren Sammy has underscored the importance of the upcoming One-Day International (ODI) series against New Zealand, describing the three matches in Guyana as a vital step in the team’s journey towards qualification for the 2027 International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s opening ODI at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, Sammy said the Caribbean side is eager to make the most of home conditions while drawing confidence from its recent Test series success.
“Guyana is always a good place to play cricket,” Sammy said. “The people come out and support. We’ve got a couple of local boys in here as well. But most importantly, these games are very crucial for us. The goal is to qualify for the World Cup, and we’re working towards that. Hopefully, on the sur-face that’s there, we can play well and get the results we want against New Zealand.”
The West Indies enter the series with momentum following a successful Test campaign, but Sammy is under no illusions about the challenge posed by the visitors.

“They feel good. It’s always good to start a new series with a previous series win. But New Zealand is posing a new challenge. I think they’re in the top three teams in the world in ODI cricket.”
While acknowledging the quality of the Black Caps, Sammy stressed that consistency will ultimately determine his team’s success.
“For me, it’s about consistency,” he explained. “The batsmen especially have been putting in a lot of hard work, and it’s always good to see that hard work being rewarded through performance. Hopeful-ly those batters coming through the Test series, along with the other players, can continue from where they left off and put in consistent performances that will help us win matches.”
The head coach also addressed the selection of promising young wrist spinner Lawes, saying the deci-sion reflects Cricket West Indies’ long-term vision of developing players capable of making an impact at the highest level.
Sammy dismissed any speculation surrounding the youngster’s inclusion, insisting it is based on care-ful planning rather than sentiment.
“That’s why he’s eventually been selected. I know there’s a lot of chatter going on about him being here, but I’ve been an advocate for introducing this type of spinner, especially wrist spinners.”

He pointed to the success of wrist spin in modern white-ball cricket and believes the West Indies must cultivate that skill set if they are to compete consistently with the world’s leading teams.
“We’ve seen how effective wrist spinners are against us in the white-ball format,” Sammy said. “Watching Lawes operate, the experience he’s gained through the Under-19 programme, the High Performance Centre Academy, the time he’s spent working with Nikita Miller, and being around the senior team have all helped in his development.”
Sammy believes the ODI series presents the ideal opportunity to assess the youngster as the West In-dies continue building a squad capable of competing at the next World Cup.
“One of our objectives is building a team looking towards the World Cup. Now is a good chance to give him that opportunity and see what he has.”
The three-match ODI series begins on Saturday at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, before continuing with matches on Monday and Thursday, as the West Indies look to strengthen their stand-ing on the road to World Cup qualification against one of the world’s premier one-day sides.