England cautioned against the idea that by reining in Gayle they can reign in World Cup

Darren Sammy has sounded a big warning to England ahead of Sunday's Twenty20 World Cup final, insisting the West Indies can claim the silverware even if talisman Chris Gayle fails to fire.
Lendl Simmons is held aloft by West Indies team-mates as they celebrate their seven-wicket win over India (Picture: Rafiq Maqbool/AP).Lendl Simmons is held aloft by West Indies team-mates as they celebrate their seven-wicket win over India (Picture: Rafiq Maqbool/AP).
Lendl Simmons is held aloft by West Indies team-mates as they celebrate their seven-wicket win over India (Picture: Rafiq Maqbool/AP).

The West Indies edged out India with two balls to spare in a seven-wicket win in yesterday’s Mumbai semi-final, last-minute injury replacement Lendl Simmons blasting a match-winning, unbeaten 83.

Gayle bludgeoned 100 from just 48 balls when the West Indies toppled England by six wickets in the group stages on March 16 and the teams will meet again in Sunday’s silverware showpiece in Kolkata.

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While Gayle will once again be the danger man, captain Sammy claimed yesterday’s big scorers Simmons, Johnson Charles or Andre Russell could easily upset England this weekend.

“We said it even before the tournament started: everybody said Chris is under pressure, but I said then that yes, Chris is our best player but we have 15 match-winners in this squad,” said Sammy. “Games are won when players take responsibility, and Charles, Simmons and Russell took that responsibility against a very good Indian team.”

Simmons three times escaped dismissal despite being ‘caught’, twice for no-balls and once when Ravindra Jadeja stepped onto the boundary line when fielding a late slog.

The 31-year-old only jetted into the country on Tuesday, seizing his chance after a hamstring injury to Andre Fletcher. Simmons missed the initial squad cut due a back complaint of his own.

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Simmons showed no signs of rust on his Indian Premier League stomping ground for the Mumbai Indians, however, as India paid the price for sloppy spin amid heavy dew that nullified their slow bowling attack.

Virat Kohli must have thought his unbeaten 89 in India’s 192-2 would just about see the host nation home, only for Simmons to ride his luck and turn the tide. Charles’s 52 and Russell’s unbeaten 43 offered Simmons the necessary support to leave India ruing missed opportunities, especially on home soil.

The West Indies entered the tournament after a protracted stand-off with their cricket board over attempted reductions in their match fees.

A boycott from the senior players was avoided at the 11th hour, but after battling through to the final Sammy claimed the matter is not yet closed in the long run in many of the players’ eyes.

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“We still feel it’s this West Indies team and this coaching staff versus everybody else,” he said.

India captain MS Dhoni was left to rue weather conditions that denied his spinners enough traction on the surface to pose the West Indies any real problems.

“I think losing the toss was pivotal,” said Dhoni.

“The spinners didn’t have an effect because of the dew and that made it very difficult for us.

“The spinners were not effective because of the wet ball and that has been a big problem for us.

“So we were disappointed about the two no-balls, but other than that the boys tried their best.”

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