West Indies are all set to host New Zealand for a limited-overs series, starting on August 10. The Windies will play three T20Is against the New Zeland, with the first T20I set to take place at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica. The T20I series will be followed by a three-match ODI series.
The tour is also a vital part of the current cycle of ICC white ball tournaments, with the ICC T20 World Cup starting in Australia this October, and qualification points on the line for next year’s ODI World Cup in India.
The three Twenty20 Internationals marking the final games before West Indies head to the T20 World Cup in Australia this October.
Meanwhile, West Indies Opener Brandon King said the series was simply another opportunity to perform, and noted players were focused on executing their game plans against New Zealand.
“I wouldn’t say [there is any pressure]. I wouldn’t say this series is any different to the previous ones we have played,” said the Jamaican, who will be playing before his home crowd for the first time in an international.
“Obviously we’re building towards a World Cup so the coach will have his role and he’s trying to finalize how he wants the team to be set up.” he said
“But we as players have to focus on our job which is performing our best for the team and trying to win games.”
King said it is tough to pinpoint specific areas why they were not more competitive against India.
“I would not say it is anything specific. It is cricket (and) basically you win some, you lose some. What we would like is to have more consistency of approach to how we play these games.”
King said the key to any success against New Zealand would be consistency.
“It is cricket – you win some, you lose some – but what we would like to have is that consistency of approach to how we play these games,” King stressed.
“Obviously the skipper has given us a good understanding of how he wants us to play and we’re trying to do that in this series.” He concluded.
The first T20 International bowls off at 1:30 pm (2:30 pm Eastern Caribbean time).