West Indies captain Shai Hope conceded that his side’s inability to quickly read conditions and execute their plans proved costly in their first Super 8 defeat of the T20 World Cup, a loss to South Africa in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Speaking after the match, Hope stressed that the setback was less about unfamiliar conditions and more about execution lapses at crucial moments.
“There are many factors you can talk about, but it always comes down to execution. When you don’t adapt and assess conditions quickly enough, you end up playing catch-up,” Hope said.
He described the pitch as a “very good surface,” adding that it bore similarities to South African conditions. However, he admitted that the West Indies batsmen may not have adjusted swiftly to the bounce and movement on offer.
“It was a good surface. Maybe we didn’t assess it as well as we could have. Losing wickets in clusters always puts you on the back foot,” he noted.
Hope also credited South Africa’s bowling unit for making the most of the conditions, praising their variety and experience.
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“They’re a very good team and have been consistent for years. They have pace on, pace off, hard lengths, so many options. When you have that kind of depth, it makes life easier for the captain.”
Despite being reduced to 60 for five inside the powerplay, West Indies refused to retreat into a defensive shell. They counterattacked to post 176, a total Hope believes reflected resilience and intent.
“There’s no right or wrong template in T20 cricket. If we had gone harder, maybe we get 230. If we rebuilt, we might still have fallen short. It’s about execution on the day. From that position, to get to 176 deserves credit,” he said.
Addressing questions about whether the team should have switched to a more cautious approach after the collapse, Hope stood by the aggressive mindset.
“If we had just batted deep for 150 or 160, we would have put too much pressure on our bowlers. From 80 for six to 170-plus shows character.”
With a crucial clash against India looming, Hope brushed aside suggestions that West Indies are under added pressure.
“This is crunch time. Every game at this stage is tough. We just need to turn things around quickly and play better cricket in the next match,” he added.
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