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'We respond well under pressure' - Bravo

West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo is expecting his team to deliver under pressure as they try to level the two-match T20 series against New Zealand in Wellington

Renaldo Matadeen
14-Jan-2014
Dwayne Bravo expects a better start from his top order  •  Getty Images

Dwayne Bravo expects a better start from his top order  •  Getty Images

West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo is expecting his team to deliver under pressure as they try to level the two-match T20 series against New Zealand in Wellington. Following a comprehensive 81-run loss to the hosts, Bravo compared this match to the fifth ODI in Hamilton where they needed to win to salvage the series.
"Once again we find ourselves in a position where it's a must-win game for us so definitely we want to finish the tour on a high and close off the series at 1-1," Bravo said. "We had a very good, high-intense training session [today] and our spirits are good. It's been our nature, more often than not, to find ourselves in situations like this but we respond well under pressure. We have to do the same thing again to get ourselves out and level in the series but we can do the job."
Bravo brushed off the previous loss as he stressed on how focused his team was on the Wellington fixture - their final match before returning to the Caribbean.
"T20 is basically more based on momentum. The team coming into the match with the most momentum has a better chance of winning but there are some key moments in the game and we have to ensure we win those moments and hopefully, we'll do the right things better than the Black Caps," he said.
When asked about Adam Milne's pace-effect on the visitors, he remained unperturbed by referring to his own fast bowlers such as Tino Best, Kemar Roach and Fidel Edwards who provide just as much firepower. "In this format, pace doesn't really matter. It's more skill," he said.
He added that he was more reliant on the team's batting and that once Kieran Powell and Johnson Charles get them off to a good start, things should go their way. He dispelled notions that his team was being dubbed as weak. Bravo labelled the Tests a "disappointment" and the ODIs as "fairly decent" but indicated that West Indies should never be ruled out in T20s.
"At the top of the order, we need to put more thought and emphasis into the game. We have nothing to prove to anyone and we just have to focus on what we have to do. It's up to us to believe in ourselves and we can win the game."

Renaldo Matadeen is a sportswriter and social media manager for ESPN Caribbean. He tweets here