HARARE, Zimbabwe, CMC – West Indies captain Shai Hope bemoaned his side’s fielding after Scotland crushed their hopes of reaching the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 India with a seven-wicket win in the qualifying tournament yesterday in Zimbabwe.
The Caribbean side remains without a point in the Super Six stage of the Qualifier following group stage defeats against Zimbabwe and Netherlands that were carried forward.
Fielding has been a major headache for Hope and company, and they have shelled no less than 10 chances in the group stage, including five against the Zimbabweans.
Brandon McMullen of Scotland was the latest beneficiary of the generosity of West Indies in the field, and he made 69 after being put down on 21 to help steer his side to their first win ever against their opponents and claimed the Player-of-the-Match prize.
“Fielding is an attitude thing,” Hope said during the post-play TV interview. “The effort needs to remain regardless of what’s happening, and I don’t think we gave 100 per cent every single time.
“We did it in patches, but we need to improve that. Our preparation needs to be better back home, we can’t come here and expect to be an elite team with that preparation.”
West Indies knew Scotland could be dangerous opponents, having gone down against them at last year’s ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup in Australia.
The Caribbean side won a tense contest against the Scots in the 2018 Qualifier to secure their place at CWC 2019 England & Wales, but the tables were turned this time around when McMullen, who also took three wickets, and Matthew Cross, not out on 74, made light work of chasing a target of 182
Hope said there plenty of work needed to make his side more competitive, but he was focussed for now on gearing them up to finish this campaign on a high, with matches against Oman and Sri Lanka to remaining.
“We have to make sure we give the West Indian fans something to cheer about in what’s left,” he said.
“I always believe the talent is there, no question, but we need to make sure we transfer that talent into consistent performances. They [Scotland] played very well, credit to them, they were disciplined, and we can learn from that.”
