MOHALI, India, Mar 12, CMC – Opener Devon Smith says scoring his maiden One-Day International century has given him added confidence for West Indies’ clash with England next Thursday in Chennai.
The left-hander made 107 last Friday as West Indies beat Ireland by 44-runs to inch even closer to a quarter-final spot of the ongoing World Cup.
“I’m feeling very happy at the moment and I’m happy for the fantastic support of my team-mates and all those people who supported me and believed in me over the years,” said Smith, who surpassed his previous best of 91 against South Africa three years ago.
“Winning a match for the West Indies feels great! I am now more confident and I’m looking ahead to the next game against England in Chennai.
“That is the next step and that is all we are concentrating on at the moment. We will be look to move from strength to strength.”
Smith faced 133 balls and struck 13 fours and one six, and anchored the innings after West Indies were sent in to bat. He put on a slow 89 for the first wicket with Shiv Chanderpaul (35) but was involved a frenetic 88-run stand for the fourth wicket with Kieron Pollard who fell just short of three figures with a robust 94.
“Doing so well and helping the team to a victory … has given me great confidence,” said the 29-year-old.
“I started slowly but I knew that if I battled out to the end of the innings I would be able to cash in and get a good score at the end. It’s all about the team and I batted for the team.”
West Indies were missing talismanic opener Chris Gayle who pulled out of the side with an abdominal strain, and Smith said this was his cue to shoulder the responsibility.
“With Chris out … I realised from very early that I had to step up and be counted in a big way,” he explained.
“I was asked to take on the responsibility and I am happy I did it. It feels really good that I could get my first ODI century in a winning cause and help us get closer to next stage of the World Cup.”
The victory left West Indies second in the standings on six points from four matches, with remaining fixtures against England and Group B leaders India.
With the century, Smith moved to 202 runs for the World Cup at an average of 50.5.
