West Indies captain Darren Sammy (L), Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene (2nd L), Australia's women team captain Jodie Fields (2nd R) and England's women team captain Charlotte Edwards pose with the International Cricket Council Twenty20 World Cup trophies ahead of their final match in Colombo Saturday. — Reuters COLOMBO — West Indies captain Darren Sammy promised a well-contested World Twenty20 final against host Sri Lanka Sunday, saying his team had peaked at the right time. “We are determined to spoil the Sri Lankan party,” Sammy told a media conference Saturday. “The two best teams are in the final and if Sri Lanka are strong, we too have peaked in time.” Besides their 11 rivals on the field, the Caribbean stars will also face a sell-out crowd of 35,000 at the Premadasa Stadium rooting for Sri Lanka's first major title since it won the 50-over World Cup in 1996. The final is being billed as a battle between the big hitters of the West Indies led by Chris Gayle and the formidable bowling attack of the home team, but Sammy said there was more to his team than just Gayle. “We have Gayle to give us a good start,” the West Indies captain said. “If he gets going it is great, but we have enough resources in the bank if he does not give the start we need.” Gayle crushed Australia in Friday's semifinal with an unbeaten 75 off 41 balls even on the slow pitch that was considered unfavorable for big shots. Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene also played down the Chris Gayle factor in Sunday's final saying the West Indies team was not just about the swashbuckling opener from Jamaica. “Not too much,” Jayawardene said when he was asked if Gayle will be a key factor in the final. “He is just another player in a very good West Indies team. We have to have our focus on the entire team and the way we analyze and have a game plan is for a team not for individuals. “That's not the way we went about this tournament. We never went after individual players. That's why we controlled things the way we can control.” Sammy was confident of the West Indies, champion in the first two 50-over World Cups in 1975 and 1979, winning a major title for the first time since the Champions Trophy triumph in 2004. “When we take the field Sunday, everyone will be looking to perform their best because this is going to be a memorable occasion and a victory will mean a lot for fans back home,” he said. Sammy said the spin-friendly conditions at the Premadasa Stadium that are expected to favor the host, did not worry him. “If we play our best, conditions will not count,” he said. “Our job is to put up a big total whether we bat first or not. Sri Lanka obviously knows the conditions well, but I am hoping we get a good pitch to play on in the final. The emphasis, however, will remain on doing best in the given conditions.” Jayawardene, who will open the batting with Tillakaratne Dilshan, played in each of Sri Lanka's two World Cup 50 overs finals losses in 2007 and 2011 and the T20 final loss to Pakistan in 2009. “We were not good enough to win those finals but we believe that we have the capacity to win this one,” he said. — Agencies
