Andre Russell, the star performer for West Indies as they crushed Pakistan by 150 runs on Saturday, said their remarkable turnaround was a result of lessons learned in that stunning loss to Ireland earlier in the tournament.
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The Caribbeans played with a lot more commitment and belief, and Russell felt they are now on a path that can conclude with a third title for his side.
All-Rounder! The Player of the Match is @Russell12A for his stunning batting & bolwing today #TwitterMirror #PakvWI pic.twitter.com/v2ARpzuRAs
— ICC (@ICC) February 21, 2015
“I think we learned a lot from the loss against Ireland,” said the man who sports a Mohawk hairstyle.
“It’s not that we went into the game thinking Ireland was an easy team. There are no easy teams in the World Cup.
“It doesn’t matter which team we play against, we’re going to have to play our A game. It’s all good cricket from now on. It’s the momentum, and once we keep doing what we can do, I think we’re going to go all the way.
“I have never been a part of winning this World Cup, but know from T20 World Cup that it is really a good feeling.
“So, I think we can do it with the team that we have. We will just have to buckle ourselves and get the job done on the day.”
Speaking about his innings of 42 in 13 balls that gave West Indies the respectability of a 300-plus score, Russell said he enjoyed batting in such a position.
“I can bat if 20 overs are still left to go, but I think I really enjoy it when five or 10 overs are left,” said Russell, who has a career strike rate of 130.04 in 45 ODIs.
“I can just come and play my natural game. It’s not like I have to be cagey.
“It’s very big to contribute to the team and win the Man of the Match award. But at the end of the day, there were other contributions from the other guys.
“We didn’t get the start that we wanted, but the guys in the middle, they kept it together and they set the innings perfectly for me to come and do my thing.
“It just goes to show that we’re a good team and playing as a team, you’re always going to get the job done once everyone contributes.”
Russell was also full of praise for Jerome Taylor’s opening spell, which saw Pakistan reeling at 1-4 at one stage.
“I think as any bowling team, whether you make 150 or you make over 300 runs, I think that’s the perfect start any team would want in cricket,” Russell added.
“That start just put us on the front foot even though we had the confidence of having over 300 runs on the board. But in one day cricket, you can’t take anything for granted. The Pakistan lineup is a very long and strong one.
“So, I think putting them on the back foot from the first over, and with Jason bowling so well and getting a third early, I think that really kind of cramped them.
“We didn’t really let loose. We kept it tight and kept building pressure and stuff like that. So it was a very good feeling.”
West Indies now play their next match against Zimbabwe on Tuesday at the Manuka Oval in Canberra.
