Colombo - The West Indies are strong enough to capture their first major cricket trophy in eight years at the World Twenty20, captain Darren Sammy said upon their arrival here on Tuesday.
Since then, they haven't won a major trophy since they surprised England in the final of the 2004 Champions Trophy.
The five specialist batsmen, including hard-hitting Chris Gayle, are capable of setting and chasing big scores, but the West Indies' problem has been restricting other teams.They believe they finally have a bowler with that ability in Sunil Narine, a spinner and not a fast bowler for which they were renowned.
Narine became the player of the Indian Premier League in leading the Kolkata Knight Riders to the title with 24 wickets, and will appear in his first major event for the West Indies with high expectations.
Sammy tried to dampen those.
"I think we have 14 potential match-winners," Sammy said, adding that the three all-rounders in the team gives them a lot of flexibility.
Sammy also said his team owed a win for their die-hard fans.
"The guys are very very excited about the tournament," he said. "If we play to our true potential I think we can go all the way."
They have beaten Australia and New Zealand in a handful of T20s this year, and open the tournament against Australia on September 22.