File
West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan.

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):

West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan says his side is gearing up nicely for next month's Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa and had a fair chance of winning the inau-gural tournament.

Speaking to CMC Sports prior to the West Indies Players Asso-ciation's charity football match this week, Sarwan said he was also hoping the West Indies could strike early success in order to set the tone for the remainder of the competition.

"The players have been working very hard with the Twenty20 World Cup in mind and they are really focused on going over there and doing well," the 27-year-old said.

"In Twenty20 cricket, everything goes and every team is dangerous. In this short form of the game, one slip-up could cost you big time, so everyone stands a chance at the Twenty20 World Cup.

"We have two games in the preliminary section of the tournament and we would really like to have two wins under our belts very early in the tournament.

"We play hosts South Africa in the first match and this is a very big clash. A win against them could set us up nicely for the rest of the tournament."

West Indies open their bid for the Twenty20 title against hosts South Africa on September 11 at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.

Two days later, they come up against Bangladesh also in Johannesburg. The twotop teams from the three-team group will move forward to the next stage.

Strong composition

Sarwan said he was pleased with the composition of the side and on the heels of encouraging results, he felt the West Indies could challenge strongly.

"The team played well in the limited overs tournament in England and we are looking to build on this," the right-hander pointed out. "We have some experience in there, mixed with young players and this is ideal for us to work with."

Sarwan, who will make a return to West Indies colours after several weeks on the sidelines because of injury, said he had fully recovered from the shoulder injury sustained on the England tour.

"I have been doing some gym work, lifting weights and some other strengthening exercises and this is helping me a lot. I am now recovered fully and will be hoping to have a good break from injuries for quite a while," he said.

Sarwan, a veteran of 67 Tests and 124 One-Day Internationals, admitted he was not a great fan of Twenty20 cricket, as he preferred the longer version of the game.

"The Twenty20 form of the game is not really my liking. I am one for the longer version of the sport, but having said that, I am fully aware of the amount of entertainment this form of the game brings to the fans," Sarwan said.