Third time’s the charm?
West Indies seek first T20 World Cup win against Bangladesh after disappointment in first two games
Published:Friday | October 29, 2021 | 12:11 AMLennox Aldred/Gleaner Writer -
The West Indies will be hoping that they can save some face and come out with a victory when they square off with Bangladesh in match 23 at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), starting at 5 a.m. Jamaica time.
Both teams have no wins entering the contest, and that statistic means the teams occupy the fifth and sixth positions in Group One without a point in the Super 12 phase of the competition.
Desperate for a victory, the West Indies will be going all guns blazing, with the misfiring batting line-up eager to show the world that their past T20 success was no fluke.
Bangladesh may also feel they have just as good a chance of claiming all the marbles, as they have tasted victory in the first phase of the competition, while the regional side is yet to win a match in the UAE.
West Indies vice-captain Nicholas Pooran said the team is still up to the task, despite the disappointing start, and today’s encounter is the best chance at redemption.
“Yeah, I think Bangladesh, after losing two games, are in the same situation as us as well,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a good challenge for us, and we need to get that victory. We know Bangladesh have a lot of spinners as well and it’s definitely going to be a challenge for us. It’s going to come down to how badly we actually want it.”
Pooran went further to mention that the players are fully behind their embattled captain Kieron Pollard, who has had to shrug off criticism over the make-up of the team after the two defeats.
“We have a wonderful captain and he knows what he’s doing as well,” Pooran said. “Whatever he says goes, and we back him to make some really good decisions for us [today], to be successful.”
Another thing that has not gone well for the West Indies is the luck of the toss, and Pollard will be hoping to call right this time around and hopefully send the opposition in, because the team that has chased in the Super 12s so far has won eight of the nine games that have been played.
The Phil Simmons-coached West Indies may opt to keep the same 11 that lost to South Africa despite the batting hiccup. However, the inclusion of all-rounder Jason Holder may prompt a change to bolster both the batting and bowling units.
Today’s games:
Group 1
Bangladesh v West Indies 5 a.m.
Group 2
Afghanistan v Pakistan 9 a.m.