WI face another must-win to stay alive
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — For the second time in three days, West Indies face a must-win game to stay in the hunt for the World Twenty20 Championship.
They will match wits with the mighty Australians at the Beausejour Cricket Stadium needing a win to ensure a return to the semi-finals of the tournament.
Captain Chris Gayle said his side would be up for the encounter which comes on the heels of a bruising series against the Aussies last February. Then, Australia won convincingly by 38 runs in Hobart and by eight wickets in Sydney.
“I am definitely looking forward to a victory, but I am not looking to get personal with anyone,” Gayle told reporters, in reference to his tussle with all-rounder Shane Watson in the series Down Under.
“I will just stick to what I can do and try and get my team up and ready to go again against Australia, get the guys confident going into that game.”
After winning both matches of the preliminary round, West Indies started the Super Eights on rocky footing when they went down by 57 runs to Sri Lanka.
In a match they needed to win, they rebounded emphatically to beat the favoured Indians on Sunday to ensure they remained alive in the tournament.
Their biggest test, however, will come against the Australians who are unbeaten in the tournament and have displayed imperious form.
Gayle said he was expecting another big performance from his side, but warned they needed to make the adjustment to the new venue.
“We are going to a new venue and hopefully we can adapt to it as quickly as possible,” the big left-hander said.
“There will be changes. It is a totally different surface. We will try to get the right format of the team looking at the opponents we are going up against.”
Even if West Indies defeat the Aussies, the possibility exists they could still be beaten to the final semi-final spot by Sri Lanka, who play India in the first game today.
Sri Lanka will enter their contest with India with a better net run rate than West Indies and if they also win, they will advance to the final four.
