World T20: Darren Sammy confident West Indies can defend their title
Darren Sammy says the West Indies are confident they can become the first team to defend the World Twenty20 title.
Last Updated: 02/04/14 4:26pm
The reigning champions have impressed en route to the semi-finals in Bangladesh, where they will face Sri Lanka on Thursday for a place in the final.
Sammy's side sealed their spot in the last four with a resounding 84-run win over Pakistan, to give them their third successive win following an opening-game defeat to India.
And the 30-year-old says the momentum they have built up and memories of their triumph in Sri Lanka two years ago is fuelling belief for this tournament.
"We left the Caribbean with that (winning the event) as the motivating factor for us," said the all-rounder.
"(In the) last World Cup, the mission was to win the World Cup. This year it's to retain or defend the title. It's something no team has done before. We are very confident we can do it.
"Once we play the brand of cricket we played in the last three games, there is every possibility we can.
Momentum
"Twenty20 is all about momentum and seizing the right opportunity. So far we've been able to do that and hopefully we can do that against Sri Lanka."
The West Indies are currently ranked eighth in both the Test and one-day international rankings but have performed much better in the shortest form of the game.
Sammy feels this is because his players, which includes powerful batsmen such as Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo and good spin bowlers Sunil Narine and Samuel Badree, are well-suited to the format.
"We've a lot of experience," he added. "Eight of our players play in the Twenty20 leagues around the world. I guess we love that format and the type of players we have in the dressing room are probably suited for that format."
Watch the first World T20 semi-final live on Sky Sports 2HD at 1.30pm on Thursday