'It is our destiny to win this World Cup': Chase says win over United States a testament of Windies intent to go all the way

By Sports Desk June 22, 2024

West Indies all-rounder Roston Chase believes it is his country's destiny to win the T20 World Cup following their nine-wicket victory over fellow co-hosts the United States.

The 32-year-old took 3-19 as the USA were bowled out for 128, with Shai Hope hitting an unbeaten 82 from 39 balls as the Windies leapfrogged England in the race for the semi-finals. 

"It is our destiny and our goal to win this World Cup," Chase said after the victory. "We want teams to know they have to beat us to win this World Cup."

Rovman Powell's side equalled the record for the West Indies' most wins in a single calendar year (W9 in 2021) in T20Is, and face South Africa in Antigua next Monday. 

The triumph continued their impressive T20 record at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, and they have now won five of their previous seven T20Is at the venue. 

The last and only previous time they won more consecutive games in Barbados was a four-game streak from May 2010 to March 2014, which has got the West Indies believing they can claim a third title. 

"It's very special," captain Powell said. "Kensington brings special memories for us. We had no better opportunity to come out and play some good cricket."

The USA still holds on to the hopes of qualifying for the competition's semi-finals but knows their hopes of progression lie elsewhere. 

Having lost their opening Super 8 fixture to South Africa, they will be hoping the Proteas can do them a favour in defeating the West Indies but would need a comprehensive victory of their own against current champions England. 

"We lost wickets in clusters," captain Aaron Jones said. "I don't think we ever truly recovered from that. It was bad in the middle.

"We'll go back to the drawing board and come back hard against England on Sunday."

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    For Hayden, this home leg, in particular, holds more than just competitive weight, as it also serves a family reunion of sorts given that his father and both grandparents were all born on the island.

    Having represented England from the Under-16 to the Under-21 levels, Hayden declared his ambition to play for the Three Lions at senior level in 2019, but changed track to switch allegiance to Jamaica as he felt the significance of bringing those family ties full circle.

    “I've still got some family members over here now who I think are going to come to the game on Thursday. It’s good to finally get it (the switch) done and get it over the line. It’s been a long time coming, and yeah, I’m just looking forward to it,” Hayden declared.

    That said, the 29-year-old pointed out that adapting to the new environment has been an enjoyable process as he is quickly adjusting to the Caribbean conditions after his recent arrival.

    “I had a good session with some of the lads. Obviously, some of the lads are still to come, but it was still a good group out there. Training and acclimatising to the weather... everything’s been fine; it has been smooth sailing. I am really enjoying myself so far,” Hayden shared enthusiastically.

    Hayden’s smooth transition in the Reggae Boyz setup has been aided by a trusted figure in Head coach Steve McClaren, whose guidance and familiarity have given Hayden an extra layer of comfort.

    In fact, the gravity of Jamaica’s World Cup ambitions is not lost on Hayden either. As a player with a wealth of experience from his days in England, Hayden is well aware of the task ahead.

    “I've known the gaffer for a while. We had a few conversations before, and it was something he thought I could add to the group in a positive way. For me, I wanted to come in and contribute the best way possible to improve the team’s chances of getting to the next round of the Nations League, and then obviously looking further ahead is obviously World Cup qualification, which is a huge, huge goal of everyone here,” he noted.

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    “Shamar will go in and get ready for the Test series and Alzarri is back from his suspension. We’re looking forward to welcoming him and the experience he brings to the squad. Yes, we lose two key guys but we get two guys who are capable of doing the job for the team as well,” he added.

     

     

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