Sammy plots path to England’s demise

MUMBAI, India (CMC):

As the West Indies head into their crucial matchup against England in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup this morning, head coach Daren Sammy is banking on his team’s power hitting and a disciplined bowling effort to get them over the line.

The two rivals face off at Wankhede Stadium following contrasting victories in their openers.

While the West Indies brushed aside Scotland by 35 runs, England escaped with a narrow four-run victory over Nepal.

Speaking in a pre-match press conference yesterday, Sammy said he hopes the Windies shine with both bat and ball in what he believes will be a high-scoring contest.

“We play against each other in very high-scoring games. The surface here at Wankhede tells you that you need to put some good runs on the board if you bat first.

“What I would say is that in 2016, we were known for our six hitting, but the world has caught up to that. Everybody now hits sixes, and they run really well between the wickets, they score off more balls, so we have a lot to do. But then again, we probably might just have to hit more sixes, something we were able to do when we dominated during that era,” Sammy said.

“Tomorrow, we’re going to have to be smart. Both teams have that power. I think it will rely on which team executes better with the ball because I think we could match each other when it comes to six hitting.”

While Sammy said the team was extremely focused, he said they were taking it “one game at a time”.

The two-time World Cup winner maintained that their goal was, ultimately, to lift the title for an unprecedented third time.

“When we left home, we’re in this tournament to win it. I’m pretty sure that’s the goal of every team. Not only tomorrow’s game, I think every game is very important …The team right now is in a very good space mentally. The way the guys have been preparing has been really good; the discussions going around the planning, I see a focused team.

“We’re not going to think too far ahead. Like I said, England is the challenge tomorrow. They’re a very good side. They’ve got so many match winners, and we have to plan really well and play really well to beat them,” Sammy admitted.

“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, and you’ve seen so many close games where one team looks like they are 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-around game against England tomorrow in order to win.”