Hope eyeing strong performance against Sri Lanka in ODI Series

Much is at stake as West Indies prepare to face Sri Lanka in a three match One Day International series, which gets underway at Sabina Park Jamaica on Wednesday.

While both teams will be eying a series victory, both are also firmly focused on automatic 2027 World Cup qualification.

With the top nine teams as of March 31, 2027 automatically qualifying, West Indies are currently tenth in the rankings, while Sri Lanka are in a far better position in sixth place.

Coming into the series, West Indies have lost four of their last five games in the ODI format, where they have also been inactive for the last six months, while Sri Lanka have also won just one of their last five encounters. The visitors also welcome back Kusal Mendis as skipper, following his removal in 2024. They also hold a better head to head record in the last five matches in the format between the two sides, winning three as opposed to two for West Indies.

With these factors in mind, West Indies captain Hope understands the importance of the upcoming series in Jamaica.

“There’s always expectations whenever you want to play a series against a strong side; you want to be victorious, so the key is playing the best cricket we can and try to get as many wins as you possibly can. We understand the importance of that March deadline in 2027. So play good cricket and hopefully the results take care of itself in the back end,” he said.

Hope gave high marks to the West Indies pre-tour camp in Antigua, describing the process as fruitful. He says the team is now very clear in its plans and objectives over the next three matches.

“So it’s just about executing now.The key is just to win, we’re here on home soil, where we have been playing really good ODI cricket. Just to continue in that vein, the preparation is going pretty nicely so execution is the main thing for the day and hopefully you can get a good start tomorrow and get the ball rolling.”

Hope also praised the team’s top order batting line up for its consistency over the last two years, noting it has developed a level of consistency.

“The way how we’ve been batting for the last year or two, with the top six barring the opening pair every now and again, we’ve been pretty solid and consistent.”

“Keacy (Carty) has been prolific in his number three position, with Sherfane (Rutherford) doing the same thing. We’ve had a pretty strong top six in the last couple of years and the data has shown that we’ve improved in many areas, especially in the middle overs when we usually face a lot of spin. We’ve been finding ways to combat that, so I must commend the guys on that front,” he noted. 

Hope also commended the side’s bowling attack, which he says has been “exceptional” in the last couple of series, especially on home soil.

“We saw the likes of Jayden (Seales) in the last series against Pakistan in the Caribbean. How he ran through those opening batters, so just trying to get the balance right in terms of consistency with both bat and ball, and just to ensure that we’re playing the best cricket that we can when the umpires call play.”

Commenting on his personal form where he averages 50.52 in the format with 19 centuries, Hope says he will continue to contribute wherever he can, to the best of his ability, while remaining consistent.

“So it’s about crossing that line and executing the best way I can and as we can as a unit. Just trying to lead from the front in all departments; wherever I’m called upon I’m gonna try to do so, and help the guys on the field.”

(KH)