Wankhede Has Been Kind To Us In World Cups: Darren Sammy

Mumbai: West Indies coach Darren Sammy won two T20 World Cups for West Indies in 2012 and 2016. During the 2016 T20 World Cup, they won an exciting high-scoring first match against England at the Wankhede and later defeated India at the same venue in the semifinals before going on to win the final in Kolkata.

Sammy is back here as West Indies head coach, and he wants to repeat that performance, countering plenty of off-field issues that were there during his captaincy, also.

“2016 was a special year for us. We won, the ladies won (Women's T20 World Cup), and the U-19 team won as well. We had many issues (off-field) then, and circumstances remain the same. So, many battles to fight. But these players are dedicated, resilient, and a good bunch. There is confidence within the group of winning games. Our players have experience of playing in India,” Sammy said at the pre-match press conference here on Tuesday.

West Indies beat Scotland in the opening match. “We started the tournament well. Mumbai has been kind to us in World Cups. We are taking one game at a time and looking forward to the game. The focus is on England tomorrow, and we will try to put our best foot forward,” he added.

West Indies were at their peak between 2009 and 2016, with the likes of Chris Gayle, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Marlon Samuels, and Sammy known for power hitting. Now they will rely on Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, and Sherfane Rutherford to hit big sixes.

“Our players were known for power hitting, but now other teams have caught up. We played many series against England in the last 3 years, I think there and there were some high scoring games. The surface on Wankhede tells to put some good runs on the board. We might have to hit more sixes and be smart. Both teams have power; it will come to which team executes more with the ball,” Sammy said.

The Caribbean team's head coach praised skipper Shai Hope and said the team is in good space.

“Shai's captaincy is evolving; he has shown good maturity and leads from the front with his performances. He is willing to learn, my job is to be there for him and share as much knowledge as I can. The team is in good space mentally, and it is a focused team. We tend to peak at the ICC tournaments, and this team has the focus and that desire to createour own piece of history, like we created in 2012 and 2016,” he said.

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Holding nerves is key: Buttler

England's wicket-keeper batter Jos Buttler said the close four-run win against Nepal indicates again that T20 matches can get tighter than expected.

"In the T20 World Cups, T20 cricket, generally, the game is so close one or two players can win games for their side on the day. Ultimately, we found a way to win, which is the most important thing," Buttler said on Tuesday.

"Obviously, the consequences are different. So, learning how to manage those emotions. The cricket is the same, but the consequences and the pressures of that are then different. If you can hold your nerve and manage to still execute skills, knowing that the consequences are different, that's probably good learning," he added.