Sammy has a strong feeling that Chris Gayle will inspire West Indies in the World Cup 2019.
Having won two World Cup titles way back in 1975 and 1979, West Indies entering into the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 as surprise package and Darren Sammy is confident that the Caribbean side will re-write the history on English soil by winning the showpiece event this summer.
Since their 1970s World Cup success, West Indies have reached just one final, finishing as runners-up to India in 1983, while the host nation England, defending champions Australia and in-form India have already gained a lot of backing from across the globe, but Sammy believes that the retiring Chris Gayle will inspire Windies to a third World Cup title this time.
Sammy told on the ICC Cricket World Cup Preview show on Friday, 17th May, “West Indies will win the World Cup. With Chris Gayle retiring, the ‘Universe Boss’ will want to leave with a bang. I just have a strong feeling. It’s been 40 years since we last won the World Cup. I’m a biblical man and the number 40 comes up a lot in the bible… I think it’s our time to rise up.”
He continued, “I think man-for-man the batting line-up is really good. The key is to have bowlers who can take wickets in English conditions and I think we have that.”
Meanwhile, Gayle, who had already announced earlier this year that he would retire from One Day International cricket after the World Cup 2019, has scored over 10,000 runs in 289 ODIs for Windies.
Sammy signed off by saying, “It’s a joy to watch. I’ve played most of my games with Chris and I’ve enjoyed watching him. When he’s in that sort of form, it sends a very positive message to the rest of the dressing room.”
Noteworthy, West Indies led by impressive all-rounder Jason Holder, will kickstart their 2019 World Cup campaign against Pakistan on May 31.
(With Metro UK Inputs)