CHESTER-LE-STREET, England, CMC – Despite having already been eliminated from the knockout stage of the 2019 ICC World Cup, West Indies head coach Floyd Reifer says they will be going all out to defeat Sri Lanka when they face off today.
The Windies have won just one match – against Pakistan – and currently, sit in ninth position with just three points from their seven games.
However, Reifer said the regional side wanted to establish a winning culture, which meant they would be looking to win their two remaining games.
“Yes, we are out of the World Cup, but there is still a lot of cricket to play after the World Cup. It’s important for us to, you know, find the winning ways and find the winning formula going forward, so it is important for us to play this game as hard as possible.
“We want to create that winning culture. It has to start from somewhere, so we’re going to approach every game in a professional manner. The guys are still up for it. We’re good to go,” Reifer said.
“We had a long conversation in the dressing room, so we did a lot of soul-searching. It is important for us and important for the fans in the Caribbean as well, for us to put up the performances, even at the back end of the World Cup.”
With Sri Lanka also eliminated following England’s victory over India yesterday, Reifer said that made little difference to the West Indies. He said the regional team still had a lot to play for.
“Our mindset is to win. Obviously, there is a process to winning by playing. You have to bat, bowl and field well. You have to make sure you are on top of your game in all three departments. So like I said, if the persons are playing a professional game, a game with intent, it is important for us to win, you know.
“Like I said at the start, winning ways. We have got to create that winning culture and it can start from here now. We had some good games in the World Cup, but we just need to get the one percenters right. Once we get the one percenters right, then you will see we will get the results,” Reifer said.