‘If we do not qualify, we go a step decrease’ – Carl Hooper on West Indies’ ‘distressing’ place
Former West Indies captain and present assistant coach Carl Hooper has referred to as the staff’s present place “distressing”. West Indies are ranked tenth proper now in ODI cricket, beneath Bangladesh and Afghanistan, and should compete with 9 different groups in Zimbabwe to qualify for the ODI World Cup, which can start in October in India.
Earlier final yr, West Indies had did not make it out of the qualifier to the T20 World Cup correct in Australia, dropping to Scotland and Ireland.
“The position hasn’t changed,” Hooper stated forward of the ODI World Cup qualifier in Harare. “The point is can we go lower than this? Yes, we can go lower than this and if we don’t qualify, we go a step lower. Never thought that I’d live to see the day where West Indies are trying to qualify for major tournaments. I sat in Australia, and we struggled to get through it in the T20s and here we are in Zimbabwe.
“No disrespect to the opposite groups, however we’re taking part in in opposition to the likes of the USA, Nepal and Scotland. Even Afghanistan is forward of us, and Bangladesh has gone forward of us. So, that is distressing, and might we go decrease? Yes, we are able to go decrease. This recreation continues to remind you that till you begin doing the best issues, you may go decrease. As I stated earlier than, I by no means thought I’d reside to see at the present time, however right here I’m in Zimbabwe, beginning a recreation on Sunday. We’ve bought to attempt to beat the USA.”
After West Indies crashed out of the T20 World Cup in Australia, Phil Simmons determined to step down as head coach after which Nicholas Pooran additionally gave up white-ball captaincy. Daren Sammy, Shai Hope, Hooper and Co have tuned up for the World Cup Qualifier with a 3-0 sweep of the UAE earlier this month. West Indies have been bolstered further by the return of their IPL stars who had rested during the UAE tour.
“We’re prepared. I imply you get a really feel, and also you get a vibe for the vitality within the staff,” Hooper said. “I believe Daren Sammy, as you realize, is a wonderful, inspirational chief. Now he has been tasked, making an attempt to get West Indies into the qualification, which shall be huge for us. So, the vitality to date in Dubai and with the opposite boys becoming a member of us right here in Zimbabwe has been nice. We’re wanting ahead to the sport on Sunday and I’m positive we are going to do effectively.”
Hooper was also pleased with how some of West Indies’ players have adapted quickly to the Harare conditions, despite not getting enough game time in the IPL. Allrounder Romario Shepherd, who got just one game at Lucknow Super Giants, hit the ground running in Harare, smacking 53 off 34 balls and then bowling three overs in West Indies’ 91-run victory over Scotland in the warm-ups. Rovman Powell, who played just three matches for Delhi Capitals for the IPL, got cracking with 105 off 55 balls, including eight sixes and as many fours, in West Indies’ 114-run win over UAE.
“What we have tried to do is guys who’re going to be an integral a part of our marketing campaign get an opportunity to spend a while within the center,” Hooper said. “We’ve had fairly just a few gamers coming from the IPL. I consider 5 or 6 of the boys…whereas they have been concerned within the IPL have not performed rather a lot other than possibly Pooran. So, the essential factor was to get them a while within the center.
“Having said that, the games that we’re going to play here in Zimbabwe are going to start pretty early in the morning. So, we noticed that in the two games we bowled, it certainly swung around. So, we’ve addressed that, and we’ve been having conversations, so there’s not much you can do technically but you can I suppose raise an awareness of conditions and how we might approach them to get the best out of the batting group.”