Bradshaw refuses to give up hope

West Indian seam bowler Ian Bradshaw has refused to give up hope that his country can win the World Cup as hosts, despite a run of heavy defeats.

The West Indies must win their remaining matches in the Super Eight stage of the tournament to have any chance of qualifying for the semi finals. Their remaining matches include the team ranked number one in the official one-day international rankings, South Africa as opponents. They will also play Bangladesh and England.

Bradshaw said that his team were “still hopeful” of lifting the trophy after the final at Barbados on Saturday 28th April, but they would have to play “near perfect games”.

Ex-players and fans have even stated that their cricket team was in crisis after heavy losses to Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. This was a far cry from their perfect record in the group stage with wins against Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Ireland.

Bradshaw told BBC Sport: “Family, friends and the fans are disappointed because they are looking for more from the team and we ourselves are really disappointed because we started well and just fell off in the last three games, which were unfortunately critical games for us.”

The West Indies play their next match against the South Africans on Tuesday, following a nine day break.