ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) – West Indies team manager Sir Richie Richardson says the spirit and unity in the Caribbean side, was the key factor in their enterprising run at the recent Twenty20 World Cup in Bangladesh.

The defending champions opened the tournament with a loss to India but rebounded with emphatic victories over Australia, Bangladesh and Pakistan, to reach the semi-finals.

However, West Indies missed out on a spot in the final when a massive rain and hail storm prematurely ended their semi-final against eventual champions Sri Lanka, with them behind on Duckworth/Lewis.

“Since I have been with the team, it is the best I have felt in terms of the camaraderie within the team and the work ethics from all the players,” the Antigua Observer quoted Sir Richie as saying.

“Everybody bought into what the coach wanted, what we all wanted and we were very much on course to defending the T20 championship, but it wasn’t to be.”

One of the highpoints of the Windies’ preliminary round campaign was their scintillating last-over win against Australia, when seemingly en route to defeat.

Requiring 12 from the last over, captain Darren Sammy blasted successive sixes off the third and fourth deliveries from seamer James Faulkner, to lift West Indies over the line.

Sir Richie said team management had constantly promoted the value of this level of dedication.

“We played some good cricket. I’ve always said to the players that ‘you are not going to win every match but as long as you give everything and the people in the Caribbean see that you’re devoted, you’re dedicated and you are giving all that you have got, then that is all we ask for’,” the former West Indies captain pointed out.

Chasing 161 for a place in the final, West Indies were labouring at 80 for four in the 14th over when the weather intervened. At this stage, the Caribbean side were 27 runs behind on Duckworth/Lewis due to their slow start.

Sir Richie, like head coach Ottis Gibson, believes victory would have been on the cards for the Windies, despite the huge task ahead of them.

“We never predicted a hail storm and even though we were behind, according to Duckworth and Lewis, we still believed that with the fire-power we have, we would have won that game and would have gone all the way,” he said.