Reifer: We’re here to win it

AHMEDABAD, India:

As the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Super 8 stage heats up, West Indies assistant coach Floyd Reifer struck a confident, yet measured tone ahead of Thursday's blockbuster against South Africa, insisting his unbeaten side has "no point to prove" to anyone but themselves.

Both teams arrive at the Ahmedabad venue with perfect records, making this clash a potential semifinal eliminator.

History, however, favours the Proteas. While West Indies have won 15 and lost 14 of their 29 previous T20I meetings, South Africa have dominated on the World Cup stage, winning four of their five T20 World Cup encounters against the Caribbean side.

But Reifer isn't buying into past narratives.

"There's no point to prove for us," Reifer told reporters. "We came here like any other team to win the competition. A lot of people have us flying under the radar, but we plan every game to go in there with a positive mentality to win cricket games.

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"Our energy is great. The vibe is good within the team, everybody's up for it. We came here to play good cricket, and that's what we've been doing so far. We've been planning well, batting well, bowling well, and fielding well," he added. "You have to do all three of those departments well to win cricket games."

South Africa does hold one tangible advantage: familiarity with the venue, having played most of their games at the same Ahmedabad ground. But Reifer dismissed any concerns about external factors.

"Once we plan properly and execute our plans, we will play a good game of cricket. We're not worried too much about venues, who plays there, and who does not. For us, it's just coming out, understanding what needs to be done and executing."

With both sides packed with match-winners, Reifer expects the contest to be decided by fine margins.

"All the teams are balanced. You come to a World Cup, and each team has quality players. On the day, it's the team that wants it the most and which team executes their plans under pressure. They have a balanced team. We have a balanced team as well. It's just a matter of which team executes their plans to the best of their abilities." - CMC