Ambrose Confident in West Indies’ T20 World Cup Prospects

Curtly Ambrose, a legendary West Indies cricketer and ICC Hall of Fame inductee, believes that his former team possesses the talent necessary to secure a historic third ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title next month. Despite being one of only two teams to have won multiple T20 World Cup titles, the West Indies will need to overcome recent poor performances in ICC tournaments to achieve this unprecedented feat.

In the most recent T20 World Cup held in Australia in 2022, the West Indies were unable to advance past the first round and did not qualify for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India last year. However, Ambrose is optimistic about the West Indies’ prospects under the leadership of captain Rovman Powell, citing recent T20I series victories over South Africa, India, and England as evidence of the team’s potential turnaround.

These successes have instilled confidence in Ambrose regarding a strong performance from the West Indies in the upcoming ninth edition of the T20 World Cup, which they will co-host with the USA.

“We have a very, very good team,” Ambrose stated at the launch of the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York earlier this week. “Currently, the West Indies players are in Antigua at a training camp preparing for the start of the T20 World Cup, which is just a few weeks away.

“I believe that if the team plays consistent and intelligent cricket, we can win the trophy. It won’t be easy, but as one of only two nations to have won it twice, we are aiming for a third title. No other nation has ever won it on home soil, which serves as additional motivation for the players to excel, and I am hopeful they can achieve this.”

The West Indies have been drawn into Group C for the T20 World Cup and will face the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Qualifier champions, Papua New Guinea, in their opening match in Guyana on June 2. Their subsequent first-round matches will be against Uganda, New Zealand, and Afghanistan.

Ambrose anticipates unexpected results in this year’s T20 World Cup, acknowledging the abundance of talent across all teams.

“I admire many cricketers participating in the T20 World Cup and look forward to their performances,” he remarked. “As a proud Antiguan and representative of the West Indies, my support is with the West Indies team.

“It will not be easy, as T20 cricket is unpredictable and any team can beat another on any given day. This is the nature of T20 cricket. It promises to be an exciting tournament, and I will be rooting for the West Indies.”