West Indies Twenty20 (T20) cricket team Captain Rovman Powell says they will be focusing on their own game despite pressure on opponents New Zealand in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

The Windies face New Zealand at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in San Fernando, Trinidad, on Wednesday, looking to keep their streak going after wins against Papua New Guinea and Uganda.

New Zealand is looking for its first win of the tournament, having lost its opening match to Afghanistan by 84 runs on Friday. The team is in a must-win situation to qualify for the next round, the Super 8, as Afghanistan, who lead the group on four points and a better net run rate than the Windies, is expected to get another win against either Papua New Guinea or Uganda.

Consequently, a win for the West Indies would secure a spot in the Super 8.

But while Powell acknowledges that New Zealand needs a win, he says it is more important to him what his team does.

“If there’s a good time to play New Zealand, it’s now,” Powell said during the prematch press conference on Tuesday. “They’re a little bit undercooked and pressure is really on them because this game decides whether they go on or not. But having said that, we’re not really focusing on New Zealand. We’re focusing on what we have to do, and once we do what we have to do, then that will take care of itself.

“We are pretty confident. The boys have been playing some very good cricket. New Zealand will pose a different challenge from our first two opponents, but having said that, we’re just focusing on ourselves and once we play good cricket, we should be okay.”

The Windies had what many considered an unconvincing win against Papua New Guinea in their opener but followed up with a 134 win over Uganda, whose 39 all out is the joint-lowest total in this tournament’s history. That record is shared with the Netherlands from the 2014 World Cup.

These results would affect fan expectations, especially with the team hosting the tournament and expected to take a third World Cup title. But Powell says the onus is on them to manage those expectations.

“The guys have done that,” he said. “We are at home, so obviously expectations and pressure are always there. It’s just for us to keep on playing good cricket and keep on entertaining the fans.

But does that mean the team should improve its performance, especially being ranked fourth in the world?

“If you should look at the last 12 or 14 months, the West Indies has played very good T20 cricket,” Powell said. “So it’s just a continuation of doing that, even though it’s a World Cup. The guys have done a lot of hard work coming into the World Cup, so hopefully we can show that hard work.”

Powell says the team has no injury concerns, meaning all 15 players are in line for selection. They will be looking to spinner Akeal Hosein to pick up where he left off against Uganda on Saturday. He took the player of the match award for his five wickets taken for 11 runs. But Powell wants similar levels of performance from all players.

“We expect not just Akeal Hosein but all the players to come to the party and show why they’re a part of the World Cup team,” he said. “Akeal Hosein did it for us the last game — credit has to be given to him to see the hard work he has put in and he has really reaped some reward in this competition.”

But New Zealand will be looking to pacer Trent Boult to lead their bowling attack. He had figures of two for 22 against Afghanistan. He is a player Powell knows well as his teammate from the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League. Powell says while there is familiarity, Boult is well-scouted by the Windies technical staff.

“Cricket is a global sport now where a lot of technology is around,” he said. “So everything you do in every single game is available to everyone around the world. Thankfully for us, we have very good analysts who have figured out the strengths and weaknesses of Trent Boult. So hopefully, tomorrow we can mitigate his strengths and try to capitalise.”

Powell is also hoping for dry conditions as it affects the performance of the pitch.

“The rain can play a part in scores because if the groundsman doesn’t have sufficient time to produce good wickets, that’s also a problem,” he said. “With the rain around, also, the wicket doesn’t get enough time to sun. But hopefully, tomorrow is a very good day in terms of the weather, and it’s a night game so some sun tomorrow would do us well.”

The game bowls off at 8:30 pm local time, 7:30 pm Jamaica time.