With the Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia set to begin for the West Indies on Saturday with a game against Thailand, the team’s captain Stafanie Taylor is in a nostalgic mood.
Taylor remembers four years ago when the West Indies lifted the trophy after an unlikely victory against Australia in the final.
“Winning the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had in my career, and I’d love nothing more than to win it all over again,” said Taylor.
The West Indies women have gone through some lean times since that victory but played solidly enough to make it to the semi-final in 2018.
Since then, the team has struggled even more but Taylor, having had the experience of winning this competition before, believes her team can overcome the odds and do so again.
“I have played a lot of games over the years but the memories of India 2016 stand out so much.
Looking back on it, I’m just hoping that we can replicate it again this year – both the feeling that we had as a team and the impact that individual players had on the tournament from start to finish,” she said.
Taylor went on to explain that the will to win the competition in 2016 was great and the team played each delivery of each match as if it were the most important of their careers. That attitude, she says needs to be replicated if the underdogs are to make a repeat of grabbing a second T20 World Cup title.
“Four years ago was a perfect storm for us. We really wanted to win, and I think we left all we had on the field throughout the tournament, especially in the final against Australia.
We had never made it beyond the semi-finals before, while they were looking to win the title for the fourth successive time, so we knew it would be a really big challenge for us.
But we went out there and did it for our country, creating memories that we won’t forget,” said Taylor.
“This time around, we just need to do that again, play our game and push until the last ball to see how far that can take us. Winning the title and bringing the trophy back to the West Indies would be success for us.”