KOLKATA, India — On the brink of their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign, West Indies head coach Daren Sammy made one thing unmistakably clear: belief, not bravado, has carried his team to India, and belief is what fuels their ambition.
Speaking on Friday at Eden Gardens ahead of their opening match against Scotland, Sammy rejected any suggestion that the two-time champions were merely participants in a wide-open tournament. For him, West Indies’ presence alone implied purpose.
“We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t believe we could win. It feels like the same scenario 10 years ago where everything that was against us, nobody gave us a chance and I’m looking at the guys and the calibre of talent that we have in that dressing room,” Sammy said.
Echoes of 2016, eyes on 2026
Sammy, who captained West Indies to their second T20 World Cup title in 2016, spoke with the authority of someone who has walked this road before. The parallels, he suggested, are difficult to ignore, skepticism from the outside, uneven recent results, and a squad quietly confident in its own potential.
Execution, however, remains the non-negotiable currency of success.
“If we go out and execute with both ball and bat, and also in the field, we are in it to win it…We’re here at the World Cup and we believe that we can have an impact and that impact will take us to win it. It will take a massive effort from everyone, but one that is not impossible.”
The coach acknowledged that preparation alone does not guarantee outcomes, but insisted the collective mindset inside the camp has been unmistakable.
“…It’s going to be a fun tournament, but we really have to be on the ball…I watch these guys played that series in South Africa, I watched them here, and yes, the results haven’t been good, but there is something in those guys’ eyes that makes me believe that we can go all the way.”
Eden Gardens: History as motivation
Saturday’s opener carries added emotional weight. Eden Gardens, one of cricket’s most storied venues, serves as both stage and symbol for a West Indies side hoping to ignite momentum early.
“We’re here, starting at Eden Gardens, a place with so many memories and history and I’m pretty sure that will inspire the guys so I’m looking forward to tomorrow and taking it one game at a time,” Sammy said.
No favorites, no complacency
Despite West Indies entering the tournament ranked seventh in the ICC’s T20 standings, Sammy was careful to dismiss any notion of favoritism against Scotland, ranked 14th. The warning was deliberate, and rooted in recent history.
Scotland famously upset West Indies at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, but Sammy stressed that dwelling on that result would serve no purpose now.
“Scotland has always been a tricky opponent, but when you go in a tournament you trust in the preparations that you’ve put in and when you prepare well you give yourself the best chance of performing.”
He emphasized that mental clarity, not memory, would determine the outcome.
“If you’re going to go in and doubt and think of the past, ‘Oh they’ve beaten us before in the tournament’ then you’re already behind the eight ball. I think the way these guys have prepared, the way we’ve managed to have guys who are in form, and the belief that you have in yourself and the team is that you deserve to win and you go out and play like you deserve to win.”
Yet realism remains central to the West Indies’ approach.
“But like we’ve seen in T20 cricket, the shorter the games the closer it brings the teams. So I will not sit down and say that we are favorites. We have to execute a good game of cricket every single time for us to win and that’s what we’ve come to do.”
The road still runs through India
Looking further ahead, Sammy offered a blunt assessment of the tournament’s ultimate challenge. For West Indies, or anyone else, lifting the trophy will almost certainly require overcoming the hosts.
“Nobody is winning this World Cup if they don’t go through India, whether you have to beat them in a knockout stage, whether it be a semi-final or a final, they are the favourites. Every team has to play really well to beat India at home. It’s their cup to lose.”
For now, though, the focus narrows to the next 40 overs, the next execution, and the quiet confidence of a team that believes history can repeat itself, one game at a time.
