HOBART, Tasmania, CMC – Alzarri Joseph says West Indies already have a laser-like focus on winning tomorrow’s final qualifier against Ireland, and would not be distracted by speculation over weather forecasts which show rain could play a role in the last series of matches here.
Group B of the qualifiers is a tight one with West Indies being one of four teams on two points, and with every team facing a must-win scenario in order to advance to the Super 12 of the Twenty20 World Cup.
Already, pundits have begun crunching numbers in the event there are rain interruptions and net run rate comes into play, but Joseph said these discussions were not ongoing in the West Indies camp.
“It doesn’t change our focus. Our focus is on doing what we have to do correctly and winning the game,” Joseph said following yesterday’s crucial 31-run victory over Zimbabwe.
“We were just focussed on the win because if we didn’t get the win then net run rate didn’t really matter, so it was all about getting the win and getting the two points.”
He added: “We all knew we had two finals to play so the mood in the dressing room was just trying to stay calm and be confident in our abilities.”
West Indies qualification for the main draw of the T20 World Cup was left in doubt following Monday’s chastening defeat to minnows Scotland.
The result left them needing to win their remaining matches in the group, with the two top teams advancing to the October 22 to November 13 tournament.
Joseph said confidence was now elevated ahead of their final qualifier.
“This win was very important because essentially, if we lost today then we knew we were out. So it was a very important win and it gives us confidence and momentum going into the next game we have,” he explained.
“I have full confidence in the team. Everyone is a match-winner in their own right, everyone is a special player. So we all have confidence in the team that has played and whichever XI goes out on the park, we all back them 100 per cent.”
Yesterday’s victory was only the second in six matches for West Indies since arriving Down Under. They lost 2-0 to the hosts, beat United Arab Emirates in the first of two warm-up games before the other against the Netherlands was rained off.
Opting to bat first yesterday, they rallied to 153 for seven from their 20 overs before bundling out Zimbabwe for 122.
Joseph, the main architect of the win with career-best figures of four for 16, said there was no time to dwell on the performance.
“To be honest, this game has already gone so for me and for the team, it’s just about going back, getting our plans right and doing what we have to do,” the 25-year-old stressed.
“We’re not going to harp on about today because today is already gone. We can’t bring back today so our focus is on our next game.”