Cricket: Windies the team to beat - Taylor

Ross Taylor. Photo / Paul Estcourt

Australian allrounder Shane Watson might have raised eyebrows by tipping the West Indies as one of the favourites for the world Twenty20 title in Sri Lanka in September, but not those of New Zealand skipper Ross Taylor.

"I actually think the West Indies are going to be the team to beat," Watson said recently. "They have got a really well-balanced team that has played a lot of high-quality T20 cricket around the world and they certainly know how to perform under pressure. I think they have got the firepower to give a lot of teams a big surprise."

Taylor agreed with Watson's sentiments ahead of his team's two Twenty20 internationals in Lauderhill, Florida, on Sunday and Monday monrings (NZT).

"They will go in as one of the favourites," Taylor said. "T20 is a game moreso than one-dayers and tests when individuals can win games by themselves.

"The likes of Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Smith can all take a game away from you and win it singlehandedly, so obviously they're a dangerous side."

The West Indies familiarity with Caribbean conditions will give them a decent head start on Sunday, allied to the fact they have been playing competitive international cricket in the last couple of months while New Zealand have largely been resting through the home winter or playing some Indian Premier League.

"We're expecting a dynamic West Indies team, but we're more worried about ourselves and what we need to do and how we need to execute with bat and ball," Taylor said.

All 15 players are fit for selection and have impressed with their energy and enthusiasm in hot, windy conditions in Lauderhill.

There are no guarantees that all 15 get at least one game in the T20 leg of this tour, which runs into early August.

The 11 for the opening game won't be finalised until closer to the toss but, with a clutch of players far from being certainties in Taylor's mind for the world T20 in Sri Lanka in mid-September - he cited former captain Dan Vettori, opening batsman Brendon McCullum and long-hitting lefthander James Franklin as three who are in that category - the heat will be on players scrambling for the final few spots.

One thing Taylor is relaxed about is the issue of showcasing cricket to an American audience.

"We hope we play a good brand of cricket anyway. I don't think we're going to go out and try and play anything differently and showcase it just because it's an American audience."