West Indies confident of challenging world champions

West Indies skipper Merissa Aguilleira said that her side will look to the big-hitting of Stafanie Taylor and Deandra Dottin if it is to have any chance of beating the world champions.

West Indies skipper Merissa Aguilleira believes that her side is capable of challenging England when it begins a three-match ODI series on Wednesday.

 

Aguilleira said that her side will look to the big-hitting of Stafanie Taylor and Deandra Dottin if it is to have any chance of beating the world champions.

 

What preparations have you done ahead of the series?

 

Our preparations have gone very, very well. We had a good, competitive series in South Africa and since arriving in St Kitts we have hit the ground running. We had some very good beach sessions and we have been working very hard in the nets. We have been working on some specifics - areas where we believe we need to improve on to challenge England.

 

Do you think England will be tough opponents being World Champions?

 

They will be tough opponents, we know that. They are ranked Number One in the world in both One-Day Internationals and T20 Internationals, but we will play our game, the way we know it and we will stick to the basics. We will stick to what we know and believe in ourselves. The mental side of the game is very important.

 

Who do you feel are your key players going into the tournament?

 

Stafanie Taylor, our opener will be a key player for us in the batting. She is a really good player, a world-class player, and is the key to our batting. Deandra Dottin is a very aggressive player and she can bat in the middle order or at the top of the order. She is the kind of explosive player who can win a game for you. Another key player is Shemaine Campbell. She is young and new to international cricket but is a very good leg-spinner and was brilliant in South Africa. She is also a capable wicket-keeper, but she will be bowling in this series.

 

Do you consider the series to be important practice ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 2010?

 

This is great preparation for us. This is a chance for us to get used to the conditions we will be playing next year so we want to thank the organizers for putting this series in place. The women's game has been improving and we are getting more and more international attention so this is also very good for us. The World Twenty20 2010 will be in St Kitts next year and we will want to do well in front of our home fans.

 

Do you consider playing at home to be an added advantage considering the same venue will be used for the ICC Women's WT20 2010?

 

The sun is hot down here and we are accustomed to it, but English girls are feeling it a bit, so I guess that's a home advantage! We know we will have home support so that could help to boost the team.

 

How do you look back at your recent series against South Africa?

 

In the One-Day Internationals I felt we should have earned a draw. We had the last game to win, we were ahead and doing well and I still can't fully explain what went wrong. What we have to do in the future is have that killer instinct to finish off games and we have looked at it to make sure we don't make that kind of mistake again. In the T20s we did what we were supposed to do and dominated them. It felt really good to win the T20s on foreign and to sweep the series was rewarding. It was a very good end to the tour.