West Indies Akeal Hossain on dominant victory over Uganda at T20 World Cup
West Indies Akeal Hossain reacts to their dominant victory over Uganda at the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup. Uganda equalled the lowest ever T20 World Cup total being bowled out for just 39 in reply to the Windies 173 for 5
Providence Stadium, Georgetown, Guyana
Providence Stadium, Georgetown, Guyana
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01:00proceed with your questions accordingly. Thank you, Dario. Well bowled, Aqeel, an
01:04incredible performance today. Pfeiffer, perhaps not that strong in Alfred
01:09Uganda, but just the way that you bowled your control, your line and length was
01:12impeccable. It just seemed that Aqeel Hussain, just the stuff that he does with
01:16the new ball, we saw absolute best of yours. How do you rate this performance?
01:20And we saw a very vociferous crowd backing the West Indies. So the
01:24tournament this way, of course, will give you great momentum after a bit of a
01:27patchy start against PNG. To be honest, I'm quite happy with the
01:32performance. As we've been seeing so far in the tournament, no one is to be taken
01:36lightly. They've all been performing well. Yes, it's not the strongest outfit, but
01:40today I thought I'd judge my spell mainly on the lengths that I bowled. And I know
01:44once I execute those lengths, it'll be tough for most batsmen to play. It's very
01:49good, very pleasing with the support behind us. We know it's a home world cup
01:53for us and we're very thankful for the support that is driving us in this
01:57tournament. Aqeel, I was recently reading an emotional piece that you did about
02:02growing up in Laventille and what cricket means to you. Could you shed some
02:06more light in terms of having these kind of performances? What it means to you as
02:10a cricketer to be able to come out and produce these kind of performances?
02:14It goes a long way for me, definitely. You know, when you look back and see where
02:19you came from and what you've been through, and to be here today
02:23representing the West Indies in a World Cup and having these sort of
02:26performances in front of your home crowd, it definitely means a lot for me.
02:29Two from two and you head home to play New Zealand. Quite a moral boosting
02:35victory in many regards against an opponent that you probably have to beat
02:40to come out of this group. I think we are not taking anyone
02:45likely. You know, our aim is two points no matter who we come up against. Yes, we
02:49will go back and plan. We know there may be a stronger unit than this opposition
02:53but going forward, you know, every opposition we come up against, the aim is
02:57to get two points and you know we're not taking anyone for granted.
03:00Aqeel, of course, a massive game against New Zealand after what Afghanistan has
03:05been able to achieve so far in this group. What do you think would be
03:09required to beat a team like New Zealand with the kind of pedigree that they
03:13might have had an off day but of course a massive game for you also. And also
03:16second question, you've got so many like world-class players. Russell has been
03:20part of the World Cup winning squad. Also Darren Semmy is a coach. Gunning for a
03:24third title, how much their presence is helping the entire squad? Youngsters like
03:28you who might not have experienced world success previously. So tell us about the
03:33camp, the experience and the quality that you have in the search of the
03:38third title also while explaining your thoughts on the New Zealand game as well.
03:43I think going into the third game, you know, we definitely are a force to reckon with.
03:47We have been playing good cricket over the last 12 years and you know we have
03:51improved immensely in areas that you know we weren't the best at. So I think
03:56no pressure, we know once we stick together and we do everything together
04:00at the end of the day, we'll definitely be on the positive side coming out on the
04:04winning side. And to have guys like Andre Russell and you know head coach
04:07Darren Semmy there, guys who've been there, done that, you know it's it's an
04:11extra boost for us. You know it's a confidence booster and it's also, you
04:15can never beat experience going into these sort of tournaments. Guys who've been
04:18there, done that, you're always a step ahead of oppositions who may not have
04:21this sort of people in their camp. So it's a boost for us.
04:27Hakim, I know this is an inspiring performance and given the fact this is a
04:32tournament of great magnitude, what would be your personal approach heading deeper
04:38into the tournament? And secondly, what's your thoughts on the pitch? I mean you
04:42create a memory and history tonight.
04:45Going into the tournament for me, I would say I just want to be able to put my team in a winning position.
04:52But whatever I do, whether it be bat, ball or field, to help my team cross the line and gain two points as I said.
04:58And thoughts on the pitch, I think it was not the easiest of pitches as we've seen the couple games that
05:05has played here. But I think it's just about reading the conditions and trying
05:09to adapt as quickly as possible. I think it's a pitch where if you really go
05:12searching, sometimes you can miss your length. Sometimes you may think it's an
05:16easier position so you might just, they might just lay down and roll over. But at
05:20the end of the day, you still have to put in the hard work, you still have to
05:23execute and go about your game the right way and then you can get the results.
05:29Akeelah Ambal is beginning to cause a lot of trouble for batsmen in the power play.
05:34Tell me about the work that you've been doing, I would say to master it because
05:39your improvement in it has been impeccable over these last seasons.
05:43I've been doing lots of work here. We had a camp before we came into the World Cup
05:48but I've been doing lots of work with Sunil as well, he's a very close friend of mine.
05:52So it's just about constant work and especially when you start getting success your way.
05:57We know the game has evolved so much that guys are going to be reading about you,
06:01guys are going to be doing their homework so you always have to try and stay one step ahead.
06:06So it's constant work for me.
06:07A call for the Chileans to come out and support the Ascendies. The Guyanese have
06:11come out in some regards but I know you want Anthony Possi to be there.
06:14Definitely, definitely. I think everywhere we go in the Caribbean, we would like
06:18the fans to come out and support. After all, it's a home World Cup for us and the
06:23support has been fantastic so far so I don't think it will be anything different
06:28when we get into Trinidad. I know the fans will come out and rally behind us.
06:33Thanks guys, goodnight.
06:35Thank you.