West Indies captain Shai Hope is expressing confidence in his team ahead of their three-match home ODI series against Sri Lanka, which begins Wednesday at Sabina Park in Jamaica.
Hope shared his thoughts after a recent training camp in Antigua. He is confident in their home record, as the Men in Maroon have won four straight home series and aim for a fifth.
The camp has sharpened the team’s skill sets ahead of a matchup where vital points are up for grabs in their bid for automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup.
“One thing that we’ve done really well as a group, we’ve defended home court really nicely,” Hope said.
“Sri Lanka is a very strong team, such as everyone else in the international field. So, that attention to detail that we need to pay goes a long way … understanding what they’re trying to throw at us and finding ways to score as batters, limiting that dot-ball percentage, something we focused on a lot in the recent past.
“And, as bowlers, trying to find ways to keep picking up wickets, because when you put batting lineups under pressure with wickets, it’s a lot easier to control in the back end when things may start to go helter-skelter.
“So, just understanding that we have a lot to play for as well, especially now with the points up for grabs. The preparation is going really nicely and just understanding what’s required within the next few days against Sri Lanka.”
One of the key players returning for the Sri Lanka series is Alzarri Joseph, who has not played for the West Indies in over a year. Before his break, Joseph was considered the leader of the team’s bowling attack. Hope said that having Joseph back is a big boost for team morale.
“It’s great having Alzarri back. He’s been one of our strongest bowlers, especially in this format, for quite some time. And seeing him looking so fit, looking so strong, looking so refreshed, I think that’s going to be a big boost for us. Not putting any pressure on him, but I’m looking forward to seeing him go well and do great things for the West Indies again,” Hope said.
The West Indies are currently ranked 10th in the world, which means they are outside the automatic qualification spots for the World Cup. They risk missing a third straight ICC 50-over tournament, after already missing the last World Cup and Champions Trophy.
