Sammy: West Indies “prepared” for Bangladesh challenge
The West Indies have maintained a perfectly chequered ODI record since their failure to advance from the 2023 World Cup qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe. Nine bilateral series contested, four won, four lost, and one drawn.
With 17 months remaining in the qualification cycle for the 2027 edition of the World Cup, the Caribbean side occupies the last automatic spot to the 14-team showpiece, sitting in ninth position in the standings. Bangladesh, their next opponents, are a place below them in tenth.
Predictably enough, the focus ahead of Saturday’s start to the three-match series has been on how fast the visitors can adapt to conditions at the Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. According to coach Daren Sammy, his team has a head start in that department. Owing to their just-concluded Test series in India, which he describes as the “closest conditions you'll get” to those in Bangladesh.
The West Indies have not won an ODI series in Bangladesh since 2011 and were swept 3-0 on their last trip in 2021, but Sammy says his team is ready. “It's going to be a challenge here in Bangladesh from what I have seen,” he began. The St. Lucian, however, went on to declare that it’s “one challenge that I think my team is much prepared for.”
The teams were subjected to differing fortunes in their most recent outings. The West Indies got their World Cup hopes back on track with a 2-1 series win over Pakistan at home in August; while Bangladesh suffered a disheartening 3-0 loss to the visiting Afghanistan a few weeks ago.
Windies skipper Shai Hope believes the past will have little influence on the upcoming series. He said, “Regardless of previous results, whether it was a long time ago or just in the recent past, it's still important to play cricket on the day.” His sentiments were echoed by Sammy. “Like the captain said, it's [about] how you play on the day and how you execute some of the skills that are required to be successful [in Bangladesh].”
Windies’ last ODI assignment in the subcontinent was a 2-1 series loss to Sri Lanka in October 2024. Where Sammy argued that the hosts “reacted” to the opening contest by preparing turning pitches for the games that followed. He insisted his team deserved credit for forcing Sri Lanka to change their game plan, labeling the series defeat a “moral victory.”
Sammy is changing his tune. This time around he says the expectation for his team to win will remain, regardless of the nature of the wicket. “What I can tell you is that we will not let the pitch play on our minds. You’ve still got to assess the conditions that you are faced with, decide what skill set is required to be successful, and then back yourself in the delivery.”
The first ODI bowls off at 3:30 AM Eastern Caribbean Time (2:30 in Jamaica).