BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

WITH EVERYTHING on the line to play for, West Indies One-Day International (ODI) captain Shai Hope has given assurances that his troops are physically and mentally prepared for today’s decisive match against England at Kensington Oval.

The three-match series is level at 1-1 after West Indies won the opening ODI by eight wickets, only for England to pull off a tremendous run chase and claim victory by five wickets in the second on Sunday.

Speaking in a pre-match interview at Kensington Oval yesterday, Hope said the regional team understood the magnitude of the game as they look for their second consecutive home ODI series victory over their arch-rivals.

“It’s the series decider and the biggest game of the series. Unfortunately we lost the last game, but it’s a great opportunity for us and we understand that.

“We still have a lot ahead of us and we understand we have to play good cricket to get over this England team,” Hope told reporters.

He said the mood in the camp was optimistic and the boys were “primed and ready” to take the field in the Mecca.

“We are always mentally ready. I just think we’ve played some really good cricket over the last few years, well even more so over the last few months,” Hope said.

“We’ve had our ups and downs, but I definitely see some improvement in the phases of the game. I think for us we have to make sure that we always have that positive attitude no matter what we do in the field, believe in our skills and understand that we are doing everything we can to ensure that we have all the capable resources to go there and perform for the West Indies.

“But the feeling is always good, the boys are enthusiastic and ready to go. We understand what is at stake, a series decider, so tomorrow is a final for us,” he added.

Hope, who scored a sensational century in a losing cause in the last ODI, claimed the Windies needed to be more consistent with both bat and ball.

He said that although England’s ODI squad was “very young and very inexperienced”, they still played good cricket and West Indies had to be at their best if they wanted to win.

“For us to be considered a great team or an elite team, we have to be consistent, we have to string performances together. It can’t always be one game or two games in a series. We have to make sure we seal it, we have to play good cricket all the time…’ Hope argued.

“We need to be more consistent, more disciplined with our skills and make sure that when we get into the game at those crucial moments, we understand them.”