DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, CMC – West Indies have missed out on automatic spot in next year’s Twenty20 World Cup following their abysmal showing at the ongoing showpiece but captain Kieron Pollard said the Caribbean side was not fazed by the prospect of having to go through a qualifying tournament.
The deposed champions finished fifth in Group 1 on two points after losing four of their five matches, slumping to 10th in the International Cricket Council rankings.
The top eight nations – the winner and runner-up of the ongoing T20 World Cup along with the next six highest-ranked sides – qualify directly for the Super 12 group stage for next year’s tournament in Australia.
“Obviously we have to place a lot of emphasis on that. There’s nothing much we can do about it now,” Pollard said following West Indies’ eight-wicket defeat to Australia on Saturday.
“I think that journey [to qualification] would not have started just at this World Cup, this journey would’ve started before in terms of getting points accumulated to get to this stage.
“It is what it is. We have to live with that. A couple years ago we had to qualify for the 50-over World Cup as well and the guys went and they did it so whoever is in the positions now in terms of personnel to do that, we have no choice but to do it.
“So we’ve got to rebuild, we’ve got to start over and that’s what it is.”
A cut-off date of November 15 had been set for the qualification process, meaning West Indies will remain outside the top eight by the end of the ongoing tournament while Australia, England, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan and Bangladesh all secure automatic qualification.
Sri Lanka, who finished fourth in Group 1, lie ninth in the rankings and will join Namibia and Scotland in going through qualification, in order to return to the Super 12s next year.
Pollard, who took over the reins of the white-ball side two years ago, said it was now important West Indies overhauled their strategic approach to the shortest format.
“We have to look at the way we play T20 cricket. Again obviously, our team was set up for our power-hitters to do a lot of the damage but we weren’t able to do that,” the 34-year-old conceded.
“What we have seen especially in these conditions, is that one guy in that top four try to bat as long as possible and when you get in, you try to stay in for as a long as possible, because it’s hard for guys to come in and try to hit.
“So that’s one of the things that going forward, we need to do better.
“But for us, the good thing is that you start building from the ground so we have to start from the foundation now and that’s just the reality of the situation.”