West Indies’ slump in the world Twenty20 rankings is of little concern to head coach Phil Simmons, but believes it can work to his side’s advantage if the T20 World Cup comes off in Australia this October.
Since winning the T20 World Cup under Simmons four years ago in India, the Caribbean side have slid down the rankings and now lie ninth only above minnows Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Ireland.
In fact, the Windies have won just 15 of their 46 T20 Internationals since the 2016 World Cup in India.
Simmons told i95FM Sports in Trinidad, that in a way it’s nice [to be so low in the rankings, and they might receive a few of the big teams taking their eyes off us and they all know that’s a dangerous thing to do.
As it stands, however, doubt surrounds the T20 World Cup due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has halted cricket across the globe.
The tournament is scheduled for October 18 to November 15 – but the International Cricket Council is yet to make a decision on whether to postpone the showpiece.
And while conceding that the lockdown in the Caribbean because of the virus would hurt the side’s preparation, Simmons pointed out the experience in the squad would prove the ideal buffer. The lockdown across the Caribbean has put in danger several international tours, especially with South Africa and New Zealand expected to arrive in the Caribbean for multi-format series in July and August.
Simmons, who oversaw Barbados Tridents’ capture of the 2019 title, said it would be a boon for West Indies if the tournament was able to be played.
