Darren Sammy said the current West Indies team can stake claim to being the “best in the world.”
He felt that the squad, having the right mix of talented individuals in every department, can conjure up a performance reminiscent of the ’70s when it dominated world cricket.
Looking to regain the World T20 title it won for the first time under his captaincy in 2012, Sammy said his team has the ability to overcome any challenge.
“We dominated the world for 17 years with some great players. Right now we are doing that in T20 cricket. We have 15 potential match-winners and a fairly balanced side,” said Sammy.
“It is one format where we, as a team, are really confident. When I see the quality in this dressing room my job as captain becomes very easy. Ideally, we will want to play international matches (more as a team), but given the fact that our guys play T20 around the world, it is not difficult to adjust,” he said.
“When I look in my dressing room I see [Chris] Gayle, [Dwayne] Bravo, Andre [Russell], [Samuel] Badree, [Marlon] Samuels... all these guys are experienced players. The coaching staff and I will pick the best combination depending on the opponent and the conditions,” said Sammy.
“We have been playing together for a while. We know the ins and outs of the game, and it will not be difficult to gel together,” he said.
Sammy said the success of the junior team, which won the ICC under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh barely a month ago, will add to the seniors’ motivation.
“It has been a massive motivation for us to see our youngsters win the u-19 World Cup. Cricket is the glue that unifies the Caribbean so whichever team does well it is always a massive plus for the people in the region,” Sammy said.
