Sammy satisfied with WI preparation ahead of T20 World Cup
Published:Tuesday | April 9, 2024 | 12:11 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
WITH less than two months to go before the start of the 2024 T20 World Cup, Darren Sammy, head coach of West Indies white ball team, stated that preparations have being going well, and would be stepped up next month.
“We’ll be having a camp leading up to the World Cup in Antigua. This camp is set to start on May 10. The biggest thing for us has been the preparation, and we’ve shown that whenever we prepare well, we give ourselves the best chance of performing. That was shown in 2023 as we didn’t lose a T20 series,” Sammy stated at a press conference yesterday.
Sammy explained that at present, he is more than satisfied with the team’s ‘engine room’ as he believes this area holds the key for the West Indies’ success. He added that the core group of players are already showing a heightened sense of belief, which he believes is critically important.
“Where our team is really strong is in the engine room. What I call the engine room is from number four to seven, where you have your all-rounders coming in and keeping on the pressure. I’m quite happy with where we are as a T20 team as we’re building towards the main event. I see a group of men that believe that they can win and belief is a strong thing in any walk of life,” he shared.
Sammy, who captained the West Indies to T20 glory in 2012 and 2016, revealed that only two places are left to be filled for the World Cup squad, which he anticipates will be very challenging.
“It’s going to be a hard team to pick. I’m pretty sure that we already have 13 players who’ve already booked their places, so it’s just the last two spots that will be very difficult to pick. This is a role that I’ve enjoyed, both the successes and challenges that it has brought,” he revealed.
Sammy shared that all of the preparation phase is geared at seeing the team lift the World Cup title for a third time.
“The system that we’ve implemented is just geared towards winning the World Cup, and that’s what we have to do,” he concluded.