Hope Remains Optimistic Despite 5-0 Defeat to Australia

Following a 5-0 whitewash at the hands of Australia in the T20I series, West Indies captain Shai Hope has shifted his focus to the upcoming series against Pakistan with renewed optimism.

Speaking after their three-wicket loss in the final match, Hope cited lack of consistency as the key reason behind their failure against the Aussies.

"Sometimes we started well and ended poorly, and sometimes it was the other way around. But we never managed to put together a complete performance," Hope admitted.

He added, "To beat a quality side like Australia, you need to maintain balance across all departments, and we failed to do that."

In the first three matches of the series, West Indies got off to promising starts but failed to post big totals:

• 1st T20I: From 123/1 in the 13th over, they finished with only 189.
• 2nd T20I: A 63-run opening stand ended in a modest 172.
• 3rd T20I: Even a 125-run opening partnership couldn't prevent a sub-par total due to a middle-order collapse on a batting-friendly pitch.

In the final two games, the West Indies batting unit struggled right from the start, with the middle-order unable to absorb the pressure.

"As a batting unit, we never managed to put ourselves in a position to build a big total. We were always playing catch-up," said Hope.

He also pointed out that losing all five tosses didn’t help their cause.

"In Caribbean conditions, chasing is often easier. Even with dew or wind factors, having a target helps plan the innings. Unfortunately, I couldn’t win a single toss," he added.

Despite the series result, Hope praised his bowling unit:

"The bowlers fought well. Especially in the latter part of the series, we bowled much better."

Looking ahead to the series against Pakistan starting July 31, Hope remains hopeful:

"There’s a lot to learn from this series. Hopefully, we can apply those lessons and perform better against Pakistan."