"It's a true reflection of where our cricket is" - Daren Sammy admits the harsh truth following shock defeat to the Netherlands
West Indies white-ball head coach Daren Sammy spoke about the team's narrow loss to the Netherlands in the ongoing World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe. The Shai Hope-led side fell short in the Super Over despite having scored a mammoth 374 runs in the first innings.
The loss complicates West Indies' hopes of qualifying for the World Cup in India, especially since they also lost to Zimbabwe a few days ago. With the Super Six format including points from the group stage, the Men in Maroon have an uphill battle ahead of them and will have to rely on a slew of other results apart from their own performances.
Admitting that the quality of cricket is far from satisfactory, Daren Sammy said during the post-match press conference:
"Sometimes you have to reach rock bottom to climb back up. I understand the challenges that are ahead and also understand that things will not change overnight. It's a true reflection of where our cricket is."
Even if West Indies emerge as winners in all of their matches in the Super Six against Oman, Scotland, and the high-flying Sri Lanka, their qualification will only be possible if no more than one team finishes with more than eight points.
"I expected the bowlers to do the job" - Shai Hope on West Indies' shock defeat to the Netherlands
Following their botched run chase in their defeat to Zimbabwe, the Men in Maroon stepped up with the bat. A blistering hundred by Nicholas Pooran, handy half-centuries from Brandon King and Johnson Charles, coupled with cameos from Shai Hope and Keemo Paul helped West Indies pile up a huge score.
However, their below-par bowling performance which continued into the Super Over became their undoing. After failing to qualify for the Super 12s of the 2022 T20 World Cup, the impending snub from the 50-over World Cup comes across as the latest tragic entry into the West Indies' cricketing folklore.
Speaking about the loss during the post-match presentation, skipper Shai Hope said:
"We just let ourselves down. I can't see us scoring 375 and losing. Honestly, I thought it was enough. I expected the bowlers to do the job. Just unfortunate we lost. The picture is right in front of us now. We need to do better."
The Caribbean side also has a challenging home series against India lined up right after the qualifiers. The two teams will compete across two Tests, three ODIs, and five T20Is from July 12 onwards.