In their last 11 T20Is, West Indies have only won three. One of them being against Scotland. One would not run the risk of underestimating West Indies if it is said that the current squad is merely a shadow of the one Daren Sammy played in.
The T20 World Cup-winning West Indian captain, who presently has the responsibility of coaching the team, and, if possible, resuscitating them from the depths of abyss, has played a total of 14 T20Is against England and won 10 of them. Since his retirement, West Indies have won only 8 of their 24 T20Is against the Three Lions.
On the eve of the Group C match between West Indies and England, which will be played on 11 January at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Sammy acknowledged the prevailing problems in West Indies. However, he is confident that his boys will play a brand of cricket that will inspire the next generation.
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There Are Still Issues in West Indies Cricket: Daren Sammy
Responding to a question from The Quint in the pre-match press conference, he said:
There are still issues. It's the West Indies. We always have some. We're not as fortunate as certain boards. So we always have these challenges that we face. But it is my job as the head coach and the management to make sure we create an environment that is breeding West Indies culture, the desire to play for the crest, the badge, and go out and entertain the fans. That's why we play. That's why you're an athlete. You try to go out and perform, play a brand that could inspire the next generation. And that's what I'm trying to instil in my guys.Daren Sammy, to The Quint
Reminiscing on his T20 World Cup triumph in 2016, he added:
2016 was a special year, not only for us as an international team, but the ladies, the Under-19 as well. The circumstances probably still the same. I remember coming into 2016, some of the names that my cricketers were called, some of the battles we had to fight. To this day, 10 years later, we're still fighting it. But we won't let that affect what we bring on the field. We try to control the things that are within our power. And some of these things are being dedicated, being resilient, being clear on our execution, which is the on-field play. We started the tournament well. Mumbai has been a place that has been kind to us in World Cups against same opposition we face tomorrow. So we look forward to it. Like I've said before, many people look at West Indies and all the issues that we have. And sometimes it reflects in the on-field performance. So they don't really give us much of a chance but within the group the confidence we have within our group, the players that we have, the experience we have playing in India. We know when we put it together and we trust our execution and the process; we become a very competitive team. And hopefully that competition could result in us winning cricket games and taking the tournament one game at a time. England is ahead of us tomorrow, and we focus on that. We hope to come out and put a good show out there at Wankhede.Daren Sammy
Sammy Believes West Indies Are in It to Win It
Speaking about his aspirations from the tournament, he concluded:
Well, when we left home, we're in this tournament to win it. I'm pretty sure that's the goal for every team. Not only tomorrow's game, I think every game is very important. And we're not going to think too far ahead. Like I said, England is the challenge tomorrow. They're a very good side. They got so many match winners. And we got to plan really well and play really well to beat them. Is it impossible? No, we don't think so. But as you see T20 is a game where the shorter the format it brings teams closer together. You've seen so many close games where one team looks like they're in a really good position. So again, I say it's a battle versus execution of skills with both bat and ball. And we want to have that all-round game against England tomorrow in order to win.Daren Sammy