Cracker of a contest

Kolkata

Morgan said his team has enjoyed their Indian sojourn so far. “It has been an amazing journey. The facilities are brilliant and everybody’s loved it. We had a lot of games going down to the wire which is good for cricket as a game,” Morgan said.

The England captain said he had a look at the wicket and was surprised to see grass on it. “I saw the pitch on Friday and it had a good covering of grass.  It is nice to see it that way. It isn’t the typical Indian wicket and the game is changing. Who knows, the seamers can do well down the line in  these conditions,” he added.

Morgan said his team is in the know that their opponents are not a one-man team (read Chris Gayle). “I was quite firm about Gayle not being the only player who can perform. On a day, any player can hurt a team. We saw how Lendl did it to India in the semi-finals. We are prepared to tackle them as a team,” Morgan said.

He added that England’s run in the tournament is due to a quick turnaround from the shambles the team was in six months ago. “There is a stark difference in the way we were playing and the way we are now. The turnaround is having an immediate impact. The mind-set has been key and tomorrow is the opportunity to prove that. I am very proud to lead this team right now,” Morgan added.

The skipper hoped he would be among the runs after failing to trouble the scorers in the last few games of the tournament. Morgan’s confidence stems  from the fact that England’s bowling in the death has been immaculate. “In the last game we just conceded 20 runs in four overs. My bowlers Jordan and Stokes executed the plans very well and I am confident of another good show with the ball, with the grass on the wicket,” the skipper added.

A man of fun, Darren Sammy exuded confidence and said the West Indies are one step away from making history. “We are here to take six steps we have taken five thus far. The last one was a big one against India and it is just a matter of one more step. We enjoy each other’s success and we know the job is just half done still,” Sammy said.

While West Indies scored a chunk of their runs in boundaries, Sammy said he wasn’t surprised at his team’s performance. “Since inception, West indies have been a boundary hitting team. We have Charles and Simmons who can hit the ball all the way. It is not surprising. We know that England will be focussed on making us not to hit boundaries and we are focussed on our strengths and theirs too,” the captain added.  Sammy insisted that coming up with a better and a different plan would be the key to success on Sunday. “I am not taking anything away from England. They have their strengths and it is up to us to come with a better plan. Eden Gardens is a special place and it is a ground where teams chasing have won as well. That is what a team and the game wants in a final. They have a good bowling unit. It would be skill vs skill and mind power vs mind power. It is important we play good brand of cricket to emerge victorious,” Sammy said.

On his David vs Goliath phrase, Sammy said: “We want to be David, David is the winner. Even now people don’t give us a chance. “