Here is the full transcript of Shai Hope’s press conference after West Indies’ Super 8 win over Zimbabwe in Mumbai.
(Reporter:)
After such a performance is it a near perfect all round performance or is there still room for improvement?
(Shai Hope:)
There are always ways and areas you can improve, but when you get 250 plus at the plate in a T20 game, you have to be happy as a batting unit. And then with the fact that the ball will be as clinical as we are, especially in the middle phase and the power play. So I’d call it more of a complete game for us, but if you want to be picky there are always areas you can improve.
(Reporter:)
A perfect game you think and when you picked Motie he hadn’t played in any of the World Cup matches before. How was the interview with Roston Chase?
(Shai Hope:)
Roston, we talk about anything off the field. We talked about going to the SS factory and stuff. But Motie, he had a bit of a period before, I thought it was the New Zealand series and he went home, worked on some skills. You can see he’s back to where he was before. He even added something to his game, that wrist spinner was very, very crucial for us, especially against left-handers. But yes, sometimes time away from the game always gives you a nice opportunity to refresh and regroup. And like I said, work on the little muddy areas that you might want to focus on. So he’s in a great space and I can say the same for everyone. I think we all gel the way we want and play cricket when necessary. So try to keep this momentum going and continue this way.
(Reporter:)
Just a few words about Hetmyer, like how he went at number three and the innings he played against Scotland, 46 in between, and now this innings, just like the role that you, him, him.
(Shai Hope:)
Yes, he is a quality player. And the way he bats, I think sometimes he’s a little bit lost in the bottom of the innings. He is such a good player, he can bat in all situations, spin, pace. And to use him at this stage, he comes out and plays with the freedom that we wanted to play with. So he was an asset to us, especially in this tournament. We gave him a role from South Africa. He embraced it. He started with bangs and continues in great shape. I’m so happy to see him score runs and how everyone along the way supports him and gives to the team, giving the team a big, big score for the players to defend. So I’m happy with that.
(Reporter:)
What’s your role on this team up there with Brandon King? In some World Cups, we have seen West Indies batsmen struggling to hit sixes off ball one. What is the role you gave yourself and Brandon King?
(Shai Hope:)
Just play the situation and every opposition is different, every surface is different. There is no set way you can play cricket. That’s just the way it is. If it’s a good surface, you have to make sure you put pressure on the bowlers because you know you’re going to need, say, another 20-30 runs with the ball to defend. So just about playing the situation, there is no set way to go about batting. That’s what we think the better batsmen around the world do. When the conditions are a bit tougher, you have to find a way to keep scoring, whether it’s more singles, lower risk shots, whereas when the surface is very good and the ball is OK for all the players, you can play with a bit more freedom and like today, just play the situation and adapt.
(Reporter:)
Five wins on the trot as you see this momentum building for two more important matches in Group One, the last two finalists of the last edition. One question and another, was there talk about the record that West Indies kind of narrowly missed in terms of setting the highest total in a T20 World Cup? 254 for 6, the first was Sri Lanka’s 260 for six, back in the first year of the tournament?
(Shai Hope:)
Well, those things are in the back of our minds, yes, but it’s not something we really focus on, you want to win. This is the stage of the tournament where you focus more on playing your best cricket. If you happen to pass these milestones, then talk about it at the end and the guys will congratulate each other. But it’s definitely not in the top spot. You never think with the bat, OK, I want to score 275 or 350 in a T20 game. It’s just about getting as many runs as possible and putting the opposition under pressure. I think the first question, I just believe the way we played definitely gives us a lot of confidence. You can’t always say we have to stay in the moment. Yes, we’ve played well up to this stage, but again, we’ve got another game in a few days and we’ve got to make sure we show up again on that day. So great, great start, big confidence booster. But those games are gone. Now we have to look ahead. Next we have South Africa and then India. So we have to keep playing our best cricket. If we can improve, keep improving. If we’re doing well, keep doing it.
(Reporter:)
Hetmyer celebrated his fiftieth birthday with a salute of sorts. Do you know who it was for?
(Shai Hope:)
Well, that was his celebration. You could probably ask him next time you get him on this forum so it might be a little more personal for him so he will ask next time you get him.
(Reporter:)
Well, the next one is actually South Africa in Ahmedabad, where they have been based all along except for the odd game in Delhi. How big of a factor would that be considering you all didn’t play there?
(Shai Hope:)
It’s certainly a factor but having said that you still have to play cricket that day. Most of the guys in our squad we’ve played with in Ahmedabad a number of times, most of them are in IPL action against India on some occasions, so it wouldn’t be foreign to us, but still, when you play so many games at a venue in a particular tournament in a short space of time, you’re going to have an advantage. That’s the reality. But I don’t think it will deter us from what we’re trying to do, we’ll still play the same cricket we’re playing and asses as fast as we can because that’s going to be the biggest thing about that encounter, especially as most of the games here, in the Wankhede and Kolkata, you adapt as quickly as you can because the conditions would be more familiar.
(Reporter:)
What are the chances of Rostan Chase coming back up to par?
(Shai Hope:)
We’ll have to wait and see who knows.
(Reporter:)
Why I asked this – because if not against South Africa then against India – because everyone starts with spinners –
(Shai Hope:)
As I said, when I roll and give away my team then we all know who is playing that day – so stay tuned.
