Bridgetown, Barbados –West Indies will be aiming to “pull one back” against Pakistan when the two teams meet in the Fourth Digicel One Day International on Monday. The Windies trail 0-3 in the five-match Digicel Series and need a confidence booster.
Captain Darren Sammy outlined key areas his side will be paying close attention to as they enter the contest.
First ball at the historic Kensington Oval is 9.30 a.m.
“We have lost the series but we will be looking to pull one back on Monday. We have to play hard and play it smart. We want to perform better than we did in the previous three games, and a win would be our obvious objective. Rotating the strike is one area we have to get better at. If we rotate the strike that upset the rhythm of the Pakistan bowlers and that would lead to us posting bigger, match-winning totals,” Sammy said.
“The ‘dot ball’ percentage has been high and we need to combat the opposition bowlers. One of our major problems has been that we have not been putting enough runs on the board. That is there for everyone to see, so we have to find methods of remedying the situation. As a batting unit we hit a lot of boundaries, but we have to get better at ticking over the strike, especially against the Pakistan spinners.”
Sammy was speaking on a rainy Sunday morning as the team held a three-hour training session at the indoor facility at the Garfield Sobers Coaching Centre at the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies.
He added: “I can’t fault the bowlers. They have been superb for us and brought us close to a victory in the last match. I believe if we put the runs on the board, the bowlers will do the job for us. We are looking to create winning opportunities and when we do that we have to grab it with both hands.”
The West Indies have recalled right-hander Ramnaresh Sarwan. His last match in the maroon shirt was the ICC Cricket World Cup quarter-final against Pakistan in Bangladesh a little over a month ago.
“We know he is a good player. With him back it is a plus for the team and we wish him all the best. He will be a key player in those middle overs as we look to keep the strike ticking,” Sammy said.
West Indies Squad: Darren Sammy (Captain), Dwayne Bravo (Vice Captain), Carlton Baugh, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Kirk Edwards, Anthony Martin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons
Digicel Series Schedule
Digicel ODI Series
May 2: Fourth Digicel ODI – Kensington Oval
May 5: Fifth Digicel ODI – Guyana National Stadium
Digicel Tests
May 12-16: First Digicel Test – Guyana National Stadium
May 20-24: Second Digicel Test – Warner Park
That is victory too……..D/L……..stupessss!!!! west indies to damn weak…Mr Sarwan stop WI playing games with you. bloody jokers!!!!!