“I know a lot of people don’t give us a chance but you never know”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

West Indies chief selector Clive Lloyd has announced that it would be a grave mistake for people to underestimate the national team during the World Cup.

Lloyd’s comments come after the West Indies only beat Scotland by three runs in a warm-up match despite posting 314 runs on the board.

“When I see the players here, they must feel proud to be here,” Lloyd, who led the West Indies to World Cup glory in 1975 and 1979, said. “This is the showpiece of cricket. I want to see them happy, I want to see them go out there and give their all – blood and guts – because if they win this World Cup – I know a lot of people don’t give us a chance but you never know.

“We weren’t supposed to be winners in 1975, Pakistan were not supposed to be the winners in Melbourne (in 1992), India weren’t supposed to be the winners (in 1983) and they came out of a situation where Zimbabwe had them 80 for seven (in a group stage match) and Kapil Dev played a masterful innings.

“You never can tell. We have talented cricketers. If we can just get it together, we can give a good account of ourselves and surprise a lot of people.”