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West Indies skipper Nicholas Pooran admitted they are the underdog side heading into the T20 World Cup in Australia. Despite the lack of big names, the southpaw believes staying unified can drive them deep into the tournament.
West Indies, the two-time T20 champions, have underperformed in T20I cricket over the last year and a half. The Men in Maroon have plenty of new faces in the squad, replacing the likes of Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo. Hence, they have an uphill task in the 2022 edition of the showpiece event.
Pooran reflected on Australia's win last year, stating that they didn't have too many big names either. The 27-year-old believes they are going through the same and that backing each other up will be crucial. As quoted by ESPNCricinfo, the Trinidadian said:
"Obviously, Australia won last year, and they didn't have too many big names, but they obviously had a team that was proven, and that was enough for them to win the World Cup. So, coming back to us, we don't have the big names, but we have formed a team here, and that's been really important. Once the guys play for each other and stay together, it'll be fine."
The two-time champions are coming off a 0-2 T20I series defeat against Australia. While the West Indies punched above their weight with the ball, they struggled with the bat.
"I think the guys are ready to go and acclimatizing to these conditions" - Nicholas Pooran
West Indies will kick-off their T20 WC 2022 campaign on Monday (October 17) against Scotland in Hobart. Ahead of the game, Pooran reckoned that they are not taking the Scottish team lightly, but expressed confidence in their preparation. He added:
"Yeah, it [Scotland] will be a challenge. But our guys are confident. We've been here for over two weeks now. I think the guys are ready to go and acclimatising to these conditions. A lot of these guys haven't played in Australia. This will be the first time, but the guys are confident, they're happy. The preparation has been really good, and we just can't wait for tomorrow to start our game."
Pooran, who scored only four runs in the recent T20I series against Australia, will be keen to be amongst the runs in the preliminary round of the competition.
