With team going for third world cup title, President Skerritt urges fans to rally round the West Indies

By Sports Desk September 26, 2021
With team going for third world cup title, President Skerritt urges fans to rally round the West Indies CWI Media

President of Cricket West Indies (CWI), Ricky Skerritt, is calling on West Indies cricket fans everywhere, to throw their full support behind the West Indies team when they defend the ICC T20 World Cup title next month.

With the countdown already begun towards the start of the marquee event in the UAE, Skerritt has asked the fanbase and all stakeholders to help create a winning West Indian spirit of passion and unity, in the face of a global battle. The West Indies team is going in pursuit of an unprecedented third ICC T20 World title.

“The selectors have produced a fit-for-purpose squad, which is a rich mixture of experienced leadership, proven match-winners, and youthful talent. For the first time in years, the selectors had good options within a growing pool of exciting West Indian talent," the CWI President said.

"But this is a major world tournament, not a development tour. All the best teams in the world will be setting out to dethrone the West Indies as defending champions. And just coping with the discomfort of an ongoing COVID-19 bubble will be tough enough for the players. So the mental toughness of our team will be stiffly tested both on and off the field. That is at least one good reason why they deserve our support. If you are a West Indian fan, then this is your team no matter which territory the players hail from.”

According to the CWI President, a successful World Cup journey requires "all of us who love and support the game and who have seriously studied the fortunes of West Indies cricket, come together and send positive vibes to Captain Pollard and the members of his squad, no matter what.”

The last time the T20I tournament was staged in 2016, West Indies beat England in spectacular fashion at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, to capture their second title. The first T20 World Cup victory came in 2012 when they beat Sri Lanka at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. West indies have also reached the semi-finals on two occasions – in 2009 in England and 2014 in Bangladesh.

Head Coach Phil Simmons will be looking to make it back-to-back titles as he was the mastermind behind the title to success in 2016. Captain Kieron Pollard will also be looking for a second world title as he was an influential member of the squad which won in 2012.

West Indies have shown encouraging form this year in the build-up to the tournament. They contested four CG Insurance T20I home series against Sri Lanka, South Africa, Australia, and Pakistan. They played 17 matches – won 8, lost 6, with three “no results” due to bad weather.

The squad is due to assemble in the UAE in early October, where they will have a training camp before finetuning the final preparations, including warm-up matches against Pakistan and India.

West Indies have been drawn in Group 1 and will play five group games against England, South Africa and Australia along with the winner of Round 1 Group A (Sri Lanka, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Namibia) and the runner-up from Round 1 Group B (Bangladesh, Scotland, Papua New Guinea, and Oman). West Indies’ first group game will be against England in Dubai on October 23.

Related items

  • ECB chief insists no decision made on Mott future ECB chief insists no decision made on Mott future

    England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Richard Gould has denied reports a decision has already been made on Matthew Mott's future as white-ball coach.

    Mott's future has been called into question in the aftermath of England's failure to defend their T20 World Cup crown in the United States and West Indies, losing to India in the semi-finals.

    Mott also oversaw England's calamitous 50-over World Cup campaign last year, as they lost six of their nine matches in India and crashed out in the group stage.

    Reports earlier this week suggested the decision had already been made to dispense with Mott's services, with Eoin Morgan a contender to succeed him, though the former limited-overs captain has since said he has no interest in the role.

    Asked by BBC Test Match Special if Mott's future had already been decided, Gould said: "That's not true. That's certainly not true.

    "Matthew Mott is a really good guy and coach. He's got a great track record and it is the same with [captain] Jos [Buttler].

    "We are always assessing options - that is what happens in high-performance sport, you are always assessing your options.

    "You never want to be drawn into being given the dreaded vote of confidence or anything like that. Competitive sport always brings scrutiny and decisions.

    "We'll constantly want to assess our options but we'll always want to do the right thing by the sport, the team and individuals."

  • West Indies grab three late wickets on day one as third Test against England in the balance West Indies grab three late wickets on day one as third Test against England in the balance

    England lost three wickets in a dramatic end to day one of the third Test against West Indies, leaving them in a precarious position after restricting the tourists for 282.

    Gus Atkinson finished with figures of 4-67, while Chris Woakes took 3-69 for England, as only a fine sixth-wicket stand from Jason Holder and Joshua Da Silva saved West Indies from being bowled out for a much lower total. 

    But England, chasing a 3-0 series whitewash, let their dominant position slip when taking up the bat for the final 35 minutes, Zak Crawley (18), Ben Duckett (3) and Mark Wood (0) being dispatched as bowler Jayden Seales dropped them to 38-3.

    Windies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite won the toss and chose to bat, leading his side to a solid start before a spell of three wickets in five overs before lunch put England on top.

    Atkinson accounted for Mikyle Louis (26) and Alick Athanaze (2) on either side of Wood sending stumps flying with a full delivery to dismiss Kirk McKenize for 12.

    Brathwaite's knock of 61 was brought to a halt shortly after the action resumed, the captain gloving Wood's leg-side ball to Jamie Smith as the tourists slid from 76-0 to 115-5 in 45 balls. 

    Holder (59) and Da Silva (49) then shared 108 to drag the Windies towards a respectable total, but things looked bleak for them when the latter feathered Woakes' ball through to Smith.

    Having gone 30 overs without a wicket, England needed just 14 more to polish off the tail, the highlight being a terrific diving catch from Joe Root to send Gudakesh Motie (8) packing.

    England were given just over half an hour with the bat to cap Friday's action, but any hopes of a serene finish were soon dashed.

    Holder made two terrific catches off Seales' bowling, the first from Crawley's thick outside edge and the second to dismiss Wood for a duck, either side of Alzarri Joseph's cracking delivery accounting for Duckett.

    That spell ensured what had been a good day for the hosts ended on a sour note, with the Windies sure to target quick wickets when the action resumes on Saturday.

    Data Debrief: Atkinson and Seales dominate 

    This series began with all the focus on James Anderson as England's greatest-ever bowler bowed out at Lord's, but Atkinson has taken centre-stage since making his Test debut in the opening match and now has 20 wickets through five innings.

    That is eight more than West Indies' Jayden Seales, the next-most prolific bowler in this series, has managed.

    Seales was determined to have an impact on day one, though, and his two wickets at the death have set the stage for a far more competitive match than those England won at Lord's and Trent Bridge. 

  • Bairstow set sights on swift England Test return Bairstow set sights on swift England Test return

    Jonny Bairstow bit back when asked if he was targeting an England return, insisting it is "all I want to do."

    Bairstow was dropped from England's Test team for the ongoing series against West Indies.

    The 34-year-old was part of England's T20 World Cup squad, and played in all five Tests of the tour of India earlier this year.

    Bairstow has made 100 Test appearances, and when asked what his immediate target was, the wicketkeeper-batsman told former England captain and now-BBC Sport pundit Michael Vaughan: "All I want to do is play for England. That's end of.

    "You don't need to ask me that do you? I think you know me well enough and I think you've known me for long enough to know that."

    Bairstow did, however, enjoy a break away from the game, having had four weeks off before he joined the Welsh Fire for the Hundred.

    He said: "At the same time it's been a great period of time.

    "I had the best part of seven months away from home. Since January, I had five nights at home in my own bed since, until three weeks ago.

    "That's the thing you have to sacrifice, time at home but at the same time, when you are away for that period of time, it takes its toll."

    England are 2-0 up against the Windies in their three-match series, with the final Test starting at Edgbaston on Friday.

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.