Mumbai, Feb 22 (IANS) When they step into the Wankhede Stadium on Monday for their opening Super 8s clash with Zimbabwe in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in Mumbai, the West Indies will be taking the match as seriously as they take a clash with India, Australia or any other top team.
Been there, done that — Darren Sammy, after captaining the West Indies to the titles in 2012 and 2016, is hoping to guide the Caribbean stars to another T20 World Cup title — this time as the head coach. Having experienced the highs and lows in his career as a player, coach Sammy knows that they can’t afford to take things lightly because a win ahead of tougher clashes with India and South Africa will be a big boost to their dream of going all the way to the title.
The West Indies finished at the top of their preliminary group and will be opening their Super 8s campaign against Zimbabwe, an unexpected opponent at this stage, who topped Group B by stunning Australia and Sri Lanka.
This is one clash nobody had expected at the start of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. But Sammy said they will not take things lightly and will approach it like a game against India or Australia, as every team that has reached this stage has to be taken seriously.
“Who said Zimbabwe is not supposed to be here? A lot of people say the West Indies is not supposed to be here either. I think when you’re in a World Cup, you’ve got to respect every opposition. And that’s what we’ve been doing. That’s what I encourage my guys to do. Respect the opposition, but believe in yourself, believe in your processes and your execution.
“So, tomorrow we approach it the same way as we would approach a game against India, Australia or whoever – like us, they are very confident. They are playing some good cricket, and I think I’ve said it before, T20 is a format that brings teams closer together. There’s no clear-cut winner. You’ve got to go out on the day and execute your plans, or else you could lose the match,” said Sammy in the pre-match press conference at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
To further boost their confidence, the West Indies got good news on all-rounder Romario Shepherd, who had missed the team’s last group match against Italy due to an injury, is fit to play the crucial Super 8s clash. Shepherd had taken a five-fer, including a hat-trick, in their opening match against Scotland, and his return in the business end of the tournament, ahead of tougher clashes with India and South Africa, is a godsend for the West Indies.
“Yeah, he practised well yesterday — bowled quite well, hit the ball very, very cleanly. The good thing for us is everybody is available for selection — going into the Super 8, that’s what you want. So I’m glad to know and happy to know that all my soldiers are ready to go out to war,” said Sammy.
Asked whether they have any special plans for Zimbabwe’s tall pacer Blessing Muzarabani for Monday’s clash, Sammy said they usually plan for every player in the opposing team and said the pacer is an X factor for the match.
“We plan for every single player. Not only him, but he’s an X factor. And like I said earlier, you’ve got to respect the opposition. We know the threat they bring against us, but we also know what we have to do in order for them not to be threatening against us.
The West Indies coach also said that the Associate teams have justified their presence at the World Cup with some good performances, and it was proof that the game was growing. “This tournament, we had 20 teams. If you watch, especially in our group, I think everybody won a game; the associate teams have really pushed the full members. So it says that the game is growing, especially in that shorter format, that one person could actually have a brilliant inning that could actually impact the game on winning or losing.
“These guys have played well. And Zimbabwe, missing out on the last World Cup, I think they’re led well. Sikandar is very confident, and he leads by example. And they got six fans in the stands that sounds like one million. So there are a lot of things that are going for them. And I could understand from that standpoint, where nobody gives you a chance, how you could use that as inspiration. So I’m really looking forward to tomorrow, two teams they’ve not lost and hopefully the people will entertain, but with all the entertainment, West Indies will come out victorious,” he added.
Sammy said they will be focusing on their own performance instead of who they are playing.
Whether they will have an advantage in Monday’s clash because of their previous experience of playing in India and especially at the Wankhede, where the red-soil pitch is expected to help the spinners more, Sammy doesn’t see any advantage because of these factors.
“No, it’s a cricket game. As I said earlier, I don’t see an advantage. What we did against Nepal, what we did against England here, bears no bearing on the game tomorrow. It’s a new opposition on a different day. We just got to come back, assess again, and decide what’s required, and hopefully we deliver well. I’m pretty sure Zimbabwe will try to do the same thing. So Super 8 match, playing for your country, everything to play for, bring the excitement and the entertainment, and like I said, hopefully West Indies when that last ball is bowled is victorious,” he added.
–IANS
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