Aguilleira wants fire from players as World Cup looms

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,  CMC – West Indies Women’s captain Merissa Aguilleira says she wants to see fearlessness from her charges, as the side gears up for the home series against South Africa and the ICC World Cup in India next month.

Aguilleira was speaking as the four-week camp at the 3Ws Oval here concluded Friday with a team-building session.

The 18-member squad viewed the documentary Fire In Babylon which details the triumphs of the West Indies men’s teams during the 1970s and 1980s, and Aguilleira said it had motivated the side to achieve similar greatness.

“What struck me the most about the West Indies team was how fearless they were,” the Trinidadian said.

“They went onto the field with the belief that they could win, that they could beat anyone on any day no matter the conditions. That’s supreme self-belief and self-confidence. I would like to see us thinking that way… be fearless and never surrender.

Merissa Aguilleira

“That’s something we will try to cultivate. It’s a really admirable quality in any sportsperson. We are working as a team and we have that belief in ourselves and in each other. The movie was a real eye-opener for all of us and gave some amazing insight into what it means to represent the West Indies cricket and the people.”

West Indies Women face the Proteas in a limited overs series that runs January 7-20, with two One-Day Internationals at Warner Park, three at Windsor Park and two Twenty20 Internationals at the Beausejour Cricket Ground in St Lucia.

The squad will then travel to India for the World Cup from January 31 to February 17, where they campaign against England, India and Sri Lanka in Group A of the preliminary round.

They raise the curtain on the tournament with a clash against India in Mumbai.

Aguilleira, who made her international debut four years ago, said it was important to extend the Windies winning tradition.

“This was the first time we watched the movie as a group. We were able to discuss and share ideas. Watching the movie, I felt so proud to be a West Indian. It reminded me of what how much cricket means to everyone in the region,” she explained.
“We have to aim to continue the tradition that they established. The message was that no matter what obstacles came in their way, they stuck together and conquered the cricket world.”