West Indies captain Rovman Powell.
ICC/Getty Images
So far, the experience at the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup has been a fantastic one for the West Indies.
The two-time champions and joint hosts have won all three of their matches in Group C against Papua New Guinea, Uganda and New Zealand and have already secured a spot in the Super 8.
A win over Afghanistan in their final Group Stage game at the Daren Sammy Cricket Stadium in St. Lucia on Monday will see them advance as winners of Group C.
Their opponents also have three wins in as many games and are currently top of the group with a superior net run rate, 4.230 to 2.596.
West Indies skipper Rovman Powell addressed the media on Sunday ahead of Monday’s encounter.
“Obviously, it's a top of the table clash. Afghanistan have been playing good T20 cricket and consistent T20 cricket. They have a lot of match winners. So, it's something that we have to come with our best game. As I said before, they're playing good T20 cricket. So, it's an opportunity for us to play against another world class side. Very good practice going into the Super 8 games,” he said.
The hosts have played their three games in Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago and are looking forward to playing at the Daren Sammy Stadium in St. Lucia, a pitch known as one of the better ones in the region for batting.
“Yeah, definitely. When we look on the schedule, all the batters were excited to come to St. Lucia. Traditionally, St. Lucia have been a place where batters like to bat. It's also an opportunity for bowlers to bowl good spells here, especially the fast bowlers. We think that St. Lucia offer 60 - 40 in terms of, from a batting perspective, to bowl. And so, if you are a bowler, or if you are a batter, you definitely can get something out of the St. Lucia wicket,” Powell said.
One major concern for the West Indies has been the form of opener Johnson Charles who has scored 44 runs in three games, so far, with all 44 of those runs coming against Uganda.
Powell says he expects Charles to come good at some point and is encouraging him to continue to be aggressive at the top of the innings.
“It's just a case of us telling him to be Johnson Charles, be his natural self. If he's an aggressive player, we expect him to play aggressive. But with that aggression, we know at some point he will fail and at some point, he will come good. So, it's for us now to support him, it's for us now to give him that additional backing that he needs and I think everyone is behind him to come good tomorrow or when he gets the opportunity in the future games,” he said.
Since the tournament, the regional side have climbed up to number three in the ICC T20 International rankings.
Naturally, a team playing a home World Cup will face pressure to perform well but this bump in ranking will only magnify that pressure.
Powell says the team is aware and ready for the challenge ahead.
“I think pressure is always there, especially when you're at home, especially when you're playing a World Cup at home. Pressure is always there, but it's for us as individuals to manage that pressure,” he said.
“I think for me as captain, when I started this journey 12 or 14 months ago, when I took over as captain, we were at eight or nine in the ranking. To see us at number three now in the world is a pleasing feeling. And it shows that not just myself, but the players are coming together and we're doing something right. I've never played in a West Indies team that is ranked number three in the world. So that for me is something special and hopefully, just hopefully, we can continue to climb those rankings,” he added.
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Afy Fletcher takes four as West Indies Women level T20 series with six-wicket triumph over Sri Lanka in second T20I
The West Indies Women secured their first victory of the tour in Sri Lanka with a convincing six-wicket win in the second T20 International on Wednesday. The win, achieved via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method, saw the West Indies chase down a revised target of 99 runs with nine balls to spare, leveling the three-match T20I series 1-1.
After rain interrupted play in Hambantota, the West Indies were set a DLS-adjusted target of 99 runs in 15 overs. The chase was anchored by Stafanie Taylor, who scored an unbeaten 28 off 26 balls, ensuring her team stayed ahead of the DLS-par score throughout the innings.
Captain Hayley Matthews and Taylor got the visitors off to an ideal start, putting together a 44-run opening partnership in just 6.5 overs. Matthews, who scored 29 runs, fell to an arm ball from Sachini Nisansala, but her solid start provided a foundation for the West Indies' chase. Taylor then took control, forming a crucial 18-ball 24-run second-wicket partnership with Shemaine Campbelle, who contributed a quickfire 16 off 13 balls.
Despite the subsequent dismissals of Campbelle, Qiana Joseph, and Chedean Nation, the required run rate remained manageable, thanks to the positive approach of the West Indies batters. Aaliyah Alleyne sealed the victory with three boundaries off Kavisha Dilhari in the penultimate over, extinguishing any hopes of a Sri Lankan comeback.
Earlier in the match, Afy Fletcher played a pivotal role in restricting Sri Lanka to 89 for 4 in 15.2 overs before rain halted their innings. Fletcher's impressive figures of 4 for 23 included crucial wickets that derailed the hosts' innings. Chamari Athapaththu and Vishmi Gunaratne had given Sri Lanka a steady start with a 44-run opening partnership, but their efforts came at a conservative pace, just under a run a ball.
Fletcher's breakthrough came when she spun one past Athapaththu, disturbing her stumps and halting her at 26 runs. Gunaratne, who labored for 24 runs off 35 balls, was trapped lbw by a Fletcher googly in the 14th over. Fletcher's earlier dismissals of Imesha Dulani, who was bowled while attempting a sweep, and Harshitha Samarawickrama, who top-edged a delivery, had already put Sri Lanka on the back foot.
Kavisha Dilhari showed some promise of a late counterattack, scoring 14 not out off just six balls, including two boundaries, but the rain brought an abrupt end to Sri Lanka's innings, leaving them with an incomplete total.
With this victory, the West Indies Women not only leveled the series but also gained crucial momentum heading into the final T20I.
South Africa's 'near misses' stay in the past, says Walter
South Africa coach Rob Walter says his players will not feel the burden of near misses in the past as they prepare for their T20 World Cup semi-final against Afghanistan.
The Proteas withstood a nervy finish to get a three-wicket victory over co-hosts West Indies in Antigua, maintaining their perfect run at the tournament with seven wins from seven so far.
South Africa have never made it past the semi-final stage of the T20 World Cup, with this due to be their third such appearance.
This time around, they have been on the right side of tight wins, and Walter is keen to ease any pressure from past results that could hinder the team.
"The near misses in the past, they belong to the people who missed them," Walter said. "To be honest, this team is a different team.
"We own whatever is ours to own. And so, our nearest reflection point is this tournament where we've managed to get over the line. So that's what we think about.
"I think there's always an energy that you can feel that's tangible when it comes to a semi-final.
"There'll be a mixture of emotions which is with anxiety, but excitement and I think anyone in any sport, if they get to this phase of a competition, feels that. And so really, it's just acknowledging that and accepting it and then just understanding what you'll do with that.
"We still want to play our best cricket in the key moments of the game."
'England have to be at our best to beat India', Moeen Ali insists
Moeen Ali acknowledged England will "have to be at our best" to beat India when they lock horns in the T20 World Cup semi-finals on Thursday.
The reigning champions have recovered from a slow start to their total defence to reach their fourth successive semi-final in the competition.
England have subsequently set up a rematch of their showdown with India at this stage of the 2022 competition, when Jos Buttler and Alex Hales inspired England to a 10-wicket victory with four overs to spare.
Two years later, they face an India side full of momentum having won all six of their completed matches, while eliminating 50-over world champions Australia with a 24-run win on Monday.
And Moeen knows England cannot afford to be off the pace in Guyana if they are to replicate their 2022 exploits.
"They looked very, very strong, like they did in the last World Cup," he said. "They're just a brilliant side. They've got everything covered, so we're going to have to be at our best to beat them. I'm looking forward to it.
"It's a great challenge, similar to the last time we played them in the semi-final in Australia. It's going to be a challenge, and we're going to have to plan and play really well."
Remembering that 2022 semi-final, Moeen added: "We were unbelievable with the bat. We set the game up on that wicket with the ball. Even when they got away from us a little bit at the end, it was a bit late. That was a great day, and a great performance."
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