AFTER executing a history-making innings against Afghanistan in their final T20 World Cup Group C tie at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground on June 17, West Indies return to the St Lucia venue to begin their opening round of Super Eight matches against England, on June 19, from 8.30pm.
The maroon concluded the group stage unbeaten after four matches and are intent on maintaining their winning momentum over the next three Super Eight matches, goal-bound on sealing a spot in the semi-final round.
Nicholas Pooran, who top scored with a brazen 98 runs from 53 balls against Afghanistan, said in the post-match press conference that they are wary of the English threat, but believes once they stick to the plan, the Windies can achieve a desired result.
When asked if his aggressive batting was a pre-match warning shot fired at the Three Lions, Pooran said their European opponents are also well aware of the Caribbean team’s firepower, both with the bat and ball. The last T20I series between both cricketing nations was played in the Caribbean in December 2023, with the hosts prevailing 3-2 in the five-match series.
“I know they (England) (were) watching the game. But we’ve played England every year for the past three years in T20 cricket, in the Caribbean. They know the conditions and know how we like to play the games,” he said. Additionally, in December last year, England made a bold move to acquire the experience and services of former West Indies big-hitter Kieron Pollard as assistant coach for the T20 World Cup, in an effort to gain “expertise of local conditions.”
Pitch conditions, both in the US and Caribbean so far, have played a crucial role in determining the outcome of matches. The St Lucia pitch was more batter-friendly as compared to the Guyana and New York venues. So far, it’s the lowest-scoring T20 World Cup ever.
Pooran added, “They (England) have Pollard as well so they have some insight on how we want to play cricket. England is a tough team and have championships behind their back. Wednesday (June 19) is a different opportunity for us and we need to continue to leave the ego home, continue to respect the game and take it ball by ball, over by over.”
England on the other hand, had mixed results in their first-round Group B matches – two wins, one loss and a no result – and finished second behind leaders Australia. Their two victories came against lower ranked nations Oman and Namibia, and loss versus the Aussies.
West Indies defeated New Zealand, Uganda, Papua New Guinea and Afghanistan.
Both West Indies and England are in Group B of the Super Eight alongside USA and South Africa. Group A comprises India, Australia, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Each team will play every other team in its group once, with the top two sides in each group qualifying for the semi-finals, to be played in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana on June 26 and 27 respectively.
Meanwhile, against Afghanistan on June 17, West Indies were ruthless and broke a number of records en route to victory.
Sent in to bat, the Windie
