MUMBAI, India, CMC – Captain Darren Sammy says West Indies are still to put together the “complete game” despite beating Australia by three wickets in their final official warm-up of the Twenty20 World Cup on Sunday.
The Windies chased down 162 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, recovering from a perilous position of 27 for four in the eighth over to get home with a ball to spare.
“So far we have not played a complete game. If the top bats well, we have not batted well at the end and if we start off well with the ball, we have not managed to finish well,” Sammy pointed out.
“It’s about putting all the pieces together – the power-play, the middle overs and the death overs as well – and each player being responsible for the section of the game which they are called upon to play.”
The victory came on the backs of a brilliant lower order effort led by Sammy, who blasted an unbeaten 50 off 28 balls. He put on a hasty 53 for the seventh wicket with Carlos Brathwaite who belted 33 from 14 balls, to haul West Indies back into the game.
Another all-rounder, Andre Russell, chipped in with a cameo 29 off 15 deliveries, as West Indies scored at over ten an over the last nine overs of the game.
Sammy said the Caribbean side were always confident in their ability to score quickly despite the loss of early wickets.
“Those last four overs, with the power we have – myself, Carlos and even Ashley (Nurse) – we back ourselves to chase 10 to 15 runs an over so it was about staying calm and making sure I got the job done for the team and at the end, any win against Australia is always great,” Sammy said.
He also praised the bowling unit for restricting Australia in the late stages of their innings, especially after opener Shane Watson’s 60 off 39 balls had gotten them away quickly.
“They started off with a flier but as soon as the ball got a little older, it was more difficult to hit the ball,” Sammy noted.
“That was a brilliant comeback from the bowlers and the way the second half of the order chased down that total was really good.”
West Indies arrived here yesterday to begin final preparations for their opening group game against England at the Wankhede Stadium tomorrow.
