'It's a dream' – West Indies set mighty World Cup ambitions
LONDON (92 News) - West Indies, who last won the tournament in 1979, will look to live out "a dream" at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019 in England and Wales.
Straight off the bat, West Indies aren't one of the top contenders for the title. They're at No.8 on the MRF Tyres ICC ODI team rankings, and in their most recent one-day internationals, they were unable to defeat Bangladesh in three outings during the Ireland tri-nation series.
But with the likes of Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis and Andre Russell returning, a full-strength Caribbean outfit will be looking to defy expectations.
"The World Cup is the biggest stage. It's about being yourself, being relaxed, being comfortable, backing your ability. When you get the big score, make sure you carry the team as deep as possible. Get big scores, get double-hundreds if you can get it. "The conditions are pretty well, a bit chilly at times, but in terms of the wickets, pretty good. As I said, we're just looking to do our best in this tournament – go out and play hard cricket, go out and play the cricket we are known to play, and hope for the best." West Indies will test their readiness for the tournament when they take on South Africa in the first of their two warm-up matches on Sunday, 26 May in Bristol.The #MenInMaroon had one last session before their first Warm Up Match in the #CWC19 v South Africa! 🌴🆚 🇿🇦 📅 Sun. 26th May 🕕 5:30 am AST/ 4:30 am Jamaica#MenInMaroon #ItsOurGame pic.twitter.com/DGEBXnvgzS
— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) May 25, 2019