On their day, Windies can beat any opponent, says coach Richard Pybus

The Windies are far from their days of glory in cricket nowadays. Last year, they even had to qualify for the World Cup that they had once won twice in a row and almost made a hat-trick. However, the Caribbeans have made a terrific turnaround in their ongoing home series against England and that gives their fans something to hope for ahead of this year’s showpiece event in England. The Windies beat a much higher-ranked England in the Test series 2-1 while the five-ODI series is tied 1-1 at the moment with two more games to be played.

The home team’s interim head coach Richard Pybus is of the opinion that on their day, the Windies can beat any team in the world. Although the Caribbeans have not won a bilateral ODI series 2014 and are currently ranked ninth, Pybus feels the return of Darren Bravo and Chris Gayle have made the side’s dimension more dynamic.

“I know the right West Indies combination with a fully focused side can beat anyone on their day. I wasn’t at the World Cup qualifiers but, with the group of guys we have now, we feel confident could take down anyone on their day,” 54-year-old Pybus, an Englishman by birth, was quoted as saying by News18.

Return of some big names has bolstered Windies

The Windies had a good start in the ODIs by scoring 360 runs in the first game. Veteran Gayle slammed 135 in 129 balls but yet the hosts lost to England who were powered by Jason Roy’s 123. They came back strongly in the second match to script a 26-run victory while the third match was washed away by rain. Explosive all-rounder Andre Russell is expected to play the fourth match in Grenada on Wednesday while the return of Darren Bravo last December added more to the team’s firepower.

Pybus, who will continue till the Windies’ home series against India later this year, said Gayle made a “very resounding case” for a spot in the World Cup squad. “I can’t speak on behalf of the selectors but I think Chris has put forward a very resounding case. He’s just class really. It’s always great having guys in your side who are a bit scary for the opposition who know full well what they can deliver,” Pybus said.

Pybus’ England counterpart Trevor Bayliss also praised the Windies’ recent form and even said they could be in with a chance of winning the WC, which will be their third on English soil, if it at all happens.

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