Confident of becoming first repeat champions in World T20: Sammy

Mirpur: It’s only possible for a West Indies captain to say that a World Cup semi-final is “just another game” but then Darren Sammy is completely different from most of the other international cricket skippers. Asked whether their triumph in the 2012 final will have an effect on tomorrow’s semi-final against Sri Lanka, Sammy said in his inimitable deep baritone, “For us it’s another game of cricket. Cricket is not about what happens before the game. It’s about what happens on a cricket field on that present day,” Sammy said. “We defeated them (Sri Lanka) in the World Cup (2012 final) and in the practice game here but they have played some good cricket and we have a lot of respect for them. But at the same time we know what we have to do to win.” [caption id=“attachment_1462847” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Darren Sammy (far left) has led the West Indies to the semi-finals in the World T20 for the second straight tournament. AFP[/caption] His sense of humour is as mind-blowing as his batting. A journalist reminded him that he had lost his ODI captaincy after winning the 2012 World T20 and the skipper laughed and said, “Probably then if we win this tournament, I won’t be Test captain.” He brought the house down with his witty reply. “For me, it has never been about whether I am captain or not. I just enjoy playing for West Indies. Not many people get to wake up in the morning and get to do something they love. I know I have a lot of friends who wake up on a Monday morning not wanting to go to work. For me, it’s about enjoying what I do and whether I’m captain or not, it’s about giving the best for the team.” He has gained experience over the years and is happy that things are finally looking up for him. “I’m definitely getting more experience over the years that I have played. It’s about doing what is necessary. So far I have really worked hard and the last four years at the helm haven’t been a bed of roses. “But I just keep on enjoying what I do for West Indies and it’s good to see the performances coming consistently and enjoying those phases that we get. It has always been about West Indies. It has never been about Darren.” Till date no team has been able to successfully defend the World T20 title but Sammy felt that West Indies are capable of changing that record. “When we left the Caribbean, we had that as the motivation factor for us. In the last World Cup, the mantra was one team, one goal and the mission was to win the World Cup. This year the mantra is the same: One team, one goal, but the mission is to retain the title. It’s something that no team has done before and we are very confident that we can do it.” Sammy is hopeful that they will be able to repeat their performances against Australia and Pakistan in their last-four clash against Dinesh Chandimal’s men. “Once we play the brand of cricket that we played in the last three games, there is every possibility that we can do it. But we know it’s a game of cricket, you know T20 game is the shortest format and it’s all about the momentum and utilising the right opportunity. So far we have been able to do it and hopefully we can do it against Sri Lanka. We have a fair idea of what they are going to bring up to the table and we just have to play our cards right.” Sammy is not much bothered about left-arm spinner Rangana Herath but expects that his side won’t play him in an atrocious manner as the New Zealanders did. “The make-up of the side allows guys like Gayle and Smith to go hard at the top. The off-spinners are the ones, who have got wickets against us so we don’t mind their left-arm-spinner (Herath). Hopefully, we don’t play him as the New Zealanders did.” Sammy said that the never-say die spirit of his group has been the most exciting thing in the current set-up. “We know what we are going to come across or against but the current bunch in the dressing room are confident even when everything seems gloomy. We still have the belief that the personnel out in the middle can do the job for us as we showed in the last two games.” For Sammy, the key to hitting those towering sixes is “staying calm” in pressure situations. “I just stay calm. Most of my big partnerships have come with one of our most experienced T20 players in Dwayne (Bravo). We are the two captains of West Indies (Bravo is ODI skipper) and you know we just stay calm and we know once we bat till the end and bat deep, we know anything is possible. We have shown that over the last few months and we know we could get up to 40 runs in the last three overs.” Sammy was all praise for Dwayne Bravo’s knock that proved to be the turning point of the last group league encounter against Pakistan. “Last night, Dwayne played an excellent innings. We feed off each other. Even though we were 80 for 5, we believed that we could finish the game once we bat till the 20th over and that’s what we looked to do. The set up of our team is such that Gayle and Smith normally go hard. Gayle takes some time while Smith goes off in the middle. The area that we need to improve on is rotating the strike.” West Indies have been a solid T20 side but have failed to deliver in Tests and ODIs so far and the skipper knows it too well. “I would say we have a lot of experience. We (eight players) play in T20 leagues all over the world. It’s just that we love that format and the type of players we have in the dressing room, are more suited for that format. We want to improve in all formats of the game. “To me Test cricket is really the ultimate form of cricket. I’m the Test captain (well), still the Test captain. Hopefully, we could improve.” T20 is about execution of plan and that is what this team has done save the first group league encounter that they lost to India. “I wouldn’t say edge. After our first game a lot of people said that West Indies are not going to progress to the next round and like I said cricket is played on the pitch and the team who turns up and executes the plans properly and hold their nerve in pressure situations, they normally come out victorious and so far, barring that game against India we have done that.” For Sammy, the key to building a good team is team spirit. “It’s the most important thing. For us it’s even more difficult as we are the West Indies and we have people coming in with different cultures and different countries. To get everybody together is the most important thing. We stress a lot on unity and gelling. “The motivation is to do well not just for yourself, but also for your teammates. When you win a game that you are not supposed to and your teammates run in towards you, one can find a sense of and satisfaction on their faces. That in itself is motivation for you. Hence team spirit and unity is most important in any set up.” PTI