WEST INDIES stand-in captain Brandon King says the regional team have got perfect preparation heading into the June 1-29 International Cricket Council (ICC) men’s Twenty/20 World Cup after completing a 3-0 sweep in their three-match T20 series versus South Africa.
On May 26, the Windies romped to their third win in four days against the “Proteas” when they got a comprehensive eight-wicket victory at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica. It was the first time international cricket was being hosted at the venue since 2022, and the homeboy King had a flawless stint at the helm as he deputised for T20 captain Rovman Powell who was involved in the Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs with Rajasthan Royals.
“This series win is very important. This is obviously the last series before the World Cup so it’s really good preparation for us,” King told reporters at Sabina Park on May 26.
“It’s given us some good momentum going into the World Cup. All the guys are feeling confident about their games so it’s always good to win.” Two-time T20 World Cup winners, the Windies have stumbled on the big stage in their last two appearances at the tourney. In 2021, the regional team were knocked out in the group phase, while they failed to advance to the main draw of the subsequent 2022 tourney after being knocked out in the qualifiers.
In 2023, though, the West Indies had a turnaround in the T20 format as they won three consecutive series – including a 2-1 win away to South Africa last March. The regional team’s streak was stopped by Australia earlier this year, as they went down by a 2-1 margin down under. King is happy the men in maroon have got back on track before their World Cup opener against Papua New Guinea (PNG) in Guyana on June 2.
“We play as a unit and we understand each other very well. We’ve been playing with the same guys for the last year or two, and we really understand each other’s game and we have a lot of confidence going out there.”
King was pleased with the consistency shown by the bowlers in the series, particularly left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie who was adjudged Player of the Series after grabbing eight wickets. The stylish right-hander also praised the efforts of the batsmen as several players delivered “standout” performances.
This Thursday, West Indies will play the Aussies in a warm-up game at the Queen’s Park Oval, St Clair, Trinidad. On Sunday, A Cricket Australia report said the Aussies were expected to be without several players from their World Cup squad for the warm-up game, including IPL finalists Pat Cummins, Travis Head and Mitchell Starc.
On the flip side, the West Indies are set to welcome the return of Powell, Shimron Hetmyer, Alzarri Joseph, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford and One-day international captain Shai Hope. Both King and opener Johnson Charles, who ended a string of low scores with a scorching 69 from 26 balls in the third T20, said the series sweep against South Africa pointed to the squad’s depth.
“Seeing that we’re still missing a couple of guys f
