Stafanie Taylor has urged her West Indies side to reach the World Twenty20 final for the first time after four previous failures at the penultimate hurdle.
“Today during training, I said that this time around it is not against Australia, so that is a surplus, but definitely we want to cross this barrier, we have been here so many times and know how to approach it,” said the West Indies captain on the eve of the women’s semi-final tie against New Zealand in Mumbai.
New Zealand finished top of their pool, ahead of Australia, after beating the Southern Stars by six wickets. West Indies, meanwhile, finished second behind England, their sole defeat in the pool stages coming in a thrilling final over with England scrambling three runs off the final two balls.
“The vibes [at training] were fantastic and that’s what I want,” Taylor added. “I am pretty much confident in my bowling attack. I think when I look at my bowling attack, [it] might be one of the best bowling attacks in this tournament. So I think any total that we pose on the board, my bowlers could actually defend that.”
Meanwhile, Taylor’s New Zealand counterpart Suzie Bates is hopeful that a good wicket will be prepared for the semi-final.
“We have been fortunate with the grounds we have played on [in the tournament],” she said. “The wickets have been great to bat on and we have shown that with some of our scores and the way we have chased [scores]. I heard that Mumbai is a good batting track. We are excited. Hopefully, it is fast and has a bit pace on it and [will get] a big score tomorrow.
“I have had no issues with the pitches at all. When we batted, we have been able to play our shots and hope tomorrow it’s the same.”
