Wary of the collective batting prowess of the West Indies, England skipper Eoin Morgan says their focus would be on the entire Caribbean side and not just Chris Gayle in the World T20 final, here on Sunday.
The final would provide England an opportunity to avenge their loss against the West Indies in Super 10 stage, a game in which the Caribbeans rode on Gayle's 11 sixes in an unbeaten century to come out victorious.
However, since then the big-hitting left-hander has been quiet, scoring just nine runs in two innings and is due for big knock on Sunday but Morgan said lendl Simmons' innings against India in the semi-final proves that "West Indies team is not just about Gayle".
"Even before we played them in the group stages I was quite firm that the West Indies team is not just about Chris Gayle," Morgan said on the eve of the summit clash. "It is important when you are playing good sides you don't focus on one or two players, it's everybody, because anybody can hurt you, and I think India witnessed that in the semi-final. Everyone watching the game (semi-final) witnessed that with lendl Simmons' innings."
Chasing India's 192 for two, the West Indies rode on Simmons, Johnson Charles and Russell's power-hitting to overwhelm the target with two balls to spare after Gayle got out cheaply.
The West Indies have a 9-4 win-loss record against England going into tomorrow's big match but Morgan said past results would have no bearing on the final.
"I think it's two completely different teams. Given that we've grown as a side, game after game. It's difficult to compare sides from the first game of the tournament to the final of the World Cup."
‘Unity is key for us’
Bitter but not unnerved by the "lack of respect" for his team even back home, West Indies captain Darren Sammy on Saturday said the side's stupendous WT20 run has been possible because of the players' unity in the face of acute adversity. The West Indians almost did not make it to the World T20 owing to a bitter pay dispute with their Cricket Board. But once here, they showed sublime form to storm into Sunday's final where they will take on England.
"People just paint us as money grabbing cricketers because of our success in Twenty20 cricket. But yes still they don't respect us in that format. We get that sometimes from our own board," Sammy said.
Blasting their critics, Sammy said the more they are castigated, the more they are united. He was reacting to a jibe by former English cricketer Mark Nicholas, who described the Windies players as "short of brains" in an article.
"How could you describe people with 'no brains'IJ Animals got brains. We're not an object. To me that particular comment really set it off for us. You could see me talking about it. It's kind of emotional, as for somebody whom I respect and had good rapport with that particular gentleman. To describe our team who were defending champions four years ago as we guys with no brains is really out of order," Sammy said. "Gods don't love the ugly and we're very wonderful and very beautiful men that's why we play exciting cricket," he added.
Sammy said the contract row with their Board, WICB, in the lead up to the big event, has actually brought the players together.
"It's been a tough journey. A lot happened before the tournament started but I always believed everything happens for a reason. I think the pre-tournament shenanigans brought us really closer together as a team. I don't know whether you have heard it. It feels like it's us against everybody else," he said.