CARDIFF, Wales –West Indies plan to give it their all on Friday when they face South Africa in a do-or-die contest in their final Group B match. Both teams are on two points – one win and one defeat – and the winners of the match at Swalec Stadium will advance to the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy 2013. The losers will be eliminated.
Speaking after Thursday’s training session West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo said: “It’s now like a quarter-final…doesn’t make it easier; it makes it more exciting. That is something we love as players. It’s one of the reasons we play the game to become competitive and trust in our skills and our team-mates. Whenever we’re in a position that is a must win situation we all come together and bring our best game. We saw it last year in Sri Lanka and I’m sure you will see it again.”
West Indies won their opening match against Pakistan by two wickets at the Oval last Friday, but lost to India by eight wickets at the same venue earlier this week. Bravo said his players have prepared well for Friday’s encounter.
“We had a good preparation session today and we are looking forward to the challenge again tomorrow and hopefully we come out on top…what we can control is how we prepare and how we play. We will come out tomorrow to play a good game of cricket, and try to do the basics right and learn from our mistakes,” Bravo said.
“For us, we’re going to enjoy the occasion and forget about what happened in the previous game. It’s a tournament..it’s a knockout game. It will bring out the best. We have been in this situation before and we did well. So, no pressure is on us. I’m really excited and looking forward to this game tomorrow.”