Traditional rivals England and the West Indies have undergone contrasting World Cup journeys but were beaming in confidence ahead of their Group B match here at Chepauk today
Traditional rivals England and the West Indies have undergone contrasting World Cup journeys but were beaming in confidence ahead of their Group B match here at Chepauk today.
A win for the West Indies would seal their quarter-final berth and also eliminate England.
England have suffered upsets against Bangladesh and Ireland, but are not ready to go home, just yet. Captain Andrew Strauss emphasised on the fact that playing cricket in the subcontinent had taken its toll on his players.
While Strauss and Graeme Swann skipped practice on Tuesday owing to stomach bugs, Ajmal Shehzad suffered an injury yesterday.
"It (injuries) has happened to a lot of teams, lots of guys have been going down. I think it's par for the course in this part of the world. We have tried to take all the necessary precautions, but these things are likely to strike at some stage. All we can do is hope that the guys recover quickly and get fit," Strauss told reporters.
The England skipper said that he still had faith in his team's ability. "We always play well when our backs are against the wall. There's no reason to doubt ourselves, we can do this. We want to win the next four games and the coveted prize," he said.
While England are battling injuries and an out-of-form James Anderson, the West Indies, under coach Ottis Gibson, are preparing to strike.
"We have won three games in a row and have the momentum with us. We want to keep improving on this, and England's our next target," West Indies skipper Darren Sammy said.
"Having Ottis (Gibson) around has helped a lot. He has a lot of information about England since he was part of their coaching staff for a really long time. We are hoping to exploit the weaknesses in England, and come out on top. We know what we are capable of."
On whether Anderson's exclusion from the England squad would make the West Indies favourites, Sammy said: "Jimmy (Anderson) has done well in the last few years, but his lack of form is a big worry for them. Whatever XI they put up, it's a big game for them. The pressure is on England."
"I hear they have spent only four days at home in the last five months. If they want to stay on in India, they have to win the World Cup. Some of them must be itching to get back home, you never know," he added.
Asked about the dew factor, Sammy said: "Dew or no dew, our bowlers are ready for any challenge. I am not worried. If there's dew, we'll get a towel and wipe the ball."
