Following an emphatic 134-run win against Uganda, West Indian spinner Akeal Hosein asserted that his team is not taking any opposition lightly.
After narrowly defeating PNG in their tournament opener, the co-hosts now find themselves in second place on the points table with two wins from two games.
However, in a group where a potential three-way battle for the top two spots looms, West Indies are yet to face their toughest opponents – New Zealand and Afghanistan.
“We are not taking anyone lightly,” Hosein said on Saturday following his team’s win over Uganda.
“Our aim is two points no matter who we come up against.
Yes, we will go back and plan.
We know there may be a stronger unit than this opposition.
But going forward, every opposition we come up against, the aim is to get two points.
And we’re not taking anyone for granted.”
Hosein led the way with a match-winning spell of 5 for 11 – his best figures in T20Is – as Uganda were bundled out for 39 in the run chase.
The left-arm spinner exuded confidence in his ability to trouble most batters if he’s able to find his lengths consistently.
“To be honest, I’m quite happy with the performance.
As we’ve been seeing so far in the tournament, no one is to be taken lightly; they’ve all been performing well.
Yes, it’s not the strongest outfit, but today I thought I’d judge my spell mainly on the lengths that I bowl, and I know once I execute those lengths, it’ll be tough for most batsmen to play.
“Going into the tournament, for me, I would say I just want to be able to put my team in a winning position.
But whatever I do, whether it be bat, ball, or field, to help my team cross the line and gain two points, as I said.
And towards the pitch, I think it was not the easiest of pitches, as we’ve seen in the couple of games that have been played here.
But I think it’s just about reading the conditions and trying to adapt as quickly as possible.
I think it’s a pitch where if you really go searching, sometimes you can miss your length.
Sometimes you may think it’s an easier opposition, so they might just lay down and roll over.
But at the end of the day, you still have to put in the hard work, you still have to execute and go about your game the right way, and then you can get the results.”
He also added that he has been working hard with Sunil Narine on improving his arm ball, which has reaped dividends in recent games for him and his team.
Speaking on his improvement on the variation, he said, “I’ve been doing lots of work here.
We had a camp before we came into the World Cup, but I’ve been doing lots of work with Sunil [Narine] as well.
He’s a very close friend of mine.
So, it’s just about constant work.
And especially when you start getting success your way, we know the game has evolved so much that guys are going to be reading about you.
Guys are going to be doing their homework.
So, you always have to try and stay one step ahead.
So, it’s constant work for me.”
West Indies are set to face New Zealand in Trinidad on June 12 next.
The Kane Williamson-led side will be coming into the contest following a tough tournament opener against Afghanistan where they were outplayed in every department.
Another defeat for New Zealand could potentially end their World Cup campaign in the group stage itself.
Hosein is confident that the West Indies would be able to give them a tough contest.
“Going into the third game, we definitely are a force to reckon with.
We have been playing good cricket over the last 12 years and we have improved immensely in areas that we weren’t the best at,” he said.
“So, I think no pressure, we know once we stick together and we do everything together at the end of the day, we’ll definitely be on the positive side, coming out on the winning side.
“And to have guys like Andre Russell and head coach Darren Sammy there, guys who’ve been there, done that, it’s an extra boost for us.
It’s a confidence booster, and you can never beat experience going into these sorts of tournaments.
Guys who’ve been there, done that, you’re always a step ahead of oppositions who may not have this sort of people in their camp, so it’s a boost for us.”
Leave a Reply