On Wednesday, England lost their second consecutive match in the ongoing World Cup in New Zealand. Dropped catches paved the way for West Indies to grab their second win for the tournament. “Our next game is crucial, we have to have a knockout mindset”, Heather Knight said.
After defeating England, West Indies has pulled off yet another dramatic win and another big upset. A match that included five dropped catches and two missed runout chances from the England side. In the end, it became too costly as well as they failed to pick up wickets in the middle overs.
The win was also West Indies’ first against England in the World Cup. Heather Knight pointed out to the press afterwards that they have work to do to take more wickets in the middle phase. Something they struggle with in their opening match as well. Moreover, they conceded 63 runs in their last seven overs.
“There were two set batters, and they had a good partnership in the middle”, she said. “We struggle to take wickets and dropped catches did not help our case. And it is always tricky when there are two set batters. We were clear on our plans, but we did not execute them well. They finished strongly.”
In the 2017 World Cup, England had a similar start to the tournament, which they, in the end, went on to win. Heather Knight says that they have a lot of experience in their squad, which can help them. “I think we must have a knockout mindset; we have to win every game from here, and our next game is crucial. Hopefully, this simplifies and sharpen people’s minds”, Heather Knight said.
Here to surprise a lot of teams
West Indies have now two wins out of two games, and Anisa Mohammed is delightful with the team’s performance so far. “Two wins out of two give us confidence and motivation that we could go all the way”, she said. “We have a lot of game-changers in the team. It was quite delightful that some of us put our hand up and took us over the line.”
Furthermore, she says that she knows they have not played good ODI cricket in the build-up to the World Cup, but they have found form for key players at the right time. She adds that she is looking forward to the remaining matches and hope for qualification. “Everyone has counted us as underdogs, but we have nothing to lose, we have come here to have fun, and we have a lot of teams to surprise in this tournament.”
England’s upcoming matches are against South Africa, India and the host New Zealand. Meanwhile, West Indies will be playing India on Saturday.
Photograph: ICC Business Corporation FZ LLC 2020
