I haven't got the World Cup of 1996 in my mind - Hooper

It was in their fourth game of the World Cup 1996 that West Indies surrendered to Kenya by 73 runs at Poona.

Talking to the media on the eve of their ICC Champions Trophy tie against Kenya, the West Indies skipper Carl Hooper indicated that they have put that shocking defeat in the past and are moving on.

Hooper said, "I haven't got the World Cup of 1996 in my mind. But I can remember a number of games where shocks have taken place; like Bangladesh beating Pakistan in 1999, and if we turn up on the day not focused and play poorly we will get beaten.

"We have to be a bit more consistent than our last game. Obviously it is a game of cricket; if you turn up on a day not focused and play poorly then you'll get beaten. It is a One-Day International and you have to take it seriously. I don't think we are in a position to be complacent," he said.

"We are in a situation that everybody expects us to win, so they will come out and give it a good shot. We have to be ready to play some good cricket.

"We hope for a crushing defeat of Kenya and then hope that Kenya beat South Africa. It is a big hope; but it is a game of cricket, and we are going to do what we can. We are thinking long term, using the ICC Champions trophy as a stepping tournament for the World Cup," Hooper added.

The Kenyan skipper Steve Tikolo was also asked about the 1996 World Cup win over West Indies.

"That was six years ago," he said, "The teams have changed, and we are looking forward to the game. We do take positives from 1996, but now we want to concentrate on the game here. We have got better since then, our batting and bowling has come through, and our fielding has improved by leaps and bounds."

Tikolo also lamented that the Kenyans don't get to play cricket at the highest level that often, which is proving a hindrance to the development of Kenyan cricket.

The Kenyan skipper is happy to be the underdogs going into their first game.

"They are the ones under pressure to try and bowl us out cheaply or get a lot of runs. In the process they might make mistakes and that might work in our favour.

"We still have two games left and they have already played one and lost one and the pressure is back on them," Tikolo added.

The Kenyans were in Sri Lanka a few months ago, when they played a series against Sri Lanka A. Tikolo has also spotted that the pitches in Sri Lanka tend to slow down and keep low as the game progresses.

"I've watched the few games so far and the wickets have played pretty well in the first session but then get slower and turn as the match goes on. With our bowling line-up that could work in our favour."

After tomorrow's game, the West Indies team will stay on in Sri Lanka and continue their preparation for the forthcoming series against India. The team is scheduled to leave for India only on October 1.