GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) — A confident Shivnarine Chanderpaul believes the embattled West Indies can win the World Twenty20 Championship when it bowls off later this month in the Caribbean.

The veteran left-hander said home advantage, along with crowd support, were two crucial factors which he expected to generate confidence in the regional side.

“I am confident we can win the World Cup. We have a good chance knowing fully well we are at home and familiar with the pitches and then home crowd support will all help us to beat the rest of the world and come out as champions next month,” Chanderpaul said.

West Indies were good enough to reach the semi-finals of the tournament when it was held in England last year, when Chanderpaul played a key role in helping the squad advance to the final four.

A former West Indies skipper, Chanderpaul said the Windies were a talented side which could threaten in the tournament.

“We have a balanced team, and once we play to our true potential, we have an excellent chance of having the trophy stay here,” Chanderpaul pointed out.

West Indies have been drawn in Group D of the tournament here at the National Stadium at Providence alongside England and Ireland.

They will open their campaign against qualifiers Ireland in a day/night encounter on April 30.

The squad will use the Jamaica Cricket Festival as preparation over the next two weeks, a move Chanderpaul disagrees with.

“I think we should have been in Guyana rather [than] in Jamaica. Guyana’s pitches are quite low compared with Jamaica [pitches], but we still have to start focusing hard and concentrate on our game,” the 35-year-old Chanderpaul contended.

The seasoned middle order batsman has represented West Indies in 123 Test matches, 256 One-Day Internationals, and 16 T20s, and is the most experienced player in the team.