With questions constantly swirling around his head from all quarters regarding his relevance in the West Indies team, captain Darren Sammy said yesterday that he is one innings away from producing something special for the regional squad.
Speaking yesterday at his team’s final press conference before today’s final One Day International (ODI) against Pakistan at the Guyana National Stadium, Sammy revealed that he has continuously put out the work in his net sessions and he believes the day to produce a match-winning performance is near.
Further, the allrounder admitted that he has concerns about not producing with the bat or ball the way he should for the Windies team, which trail the five-match series 1-3.
But he reiterated that this grey patch will not be the defining aspect of his career.
Sammy, whose level of cricket has sunk after being entrusted with the captaincy, indicated that sometimes he feels the pressure but questioned which leadership position is not a challenging one.
The right hander indicated though that he thrives on rising to the challenges, declaring that he has been learning on the job despite always having to play under pressure. This, however, will not deter him from continuing his job as skipper for the remainder of this series.
When asked whether he will consider resigning after this series he retorted “why should I?” Having said that, Sammy said that the team is confident going into today’s game, which starts at 09:30 hours.
He emphasised that the win in the last match in Barbados will give the players the momentum to continue the streak. Sammy said that the players continue to show signs of improvement and said this will take centre stage today, acknowledging that every player may not be stars on the day.
He assured that there will be a team effort although he has expressed concern about the batting, which has been shouldered by a few for some time. Again, he noted the penetrative nature of his bowling lineup, singling out Guyanese leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo and Trinidadian pacer Ravi Rampaul.
Meanwhile, when media workers spoke with Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi he said that his team will be looking to close the series with another win.
He lauded the efforts of his team, which also boasts a crop of young players with little international experience and a small mix of senior players.
He said that they have been doing what was expected of them when they were selected, adding that the future looks good for Pakistan if they continue along this path. He indicated also that this is the best time to blood them and give them a chance.
However, the livewire batsman said that he is not happy with his own form with the bat for some time now. He emphasised that he will be looking to work on improving his own form in days to come and to continue leading his team.
Today’s match will be televised from 09:15 hours.
Darren Sammy (Captain), Dwayne Bravo (Vice Captain), Carlton Baugh, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Kirk Edwards, Anthony Martin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Marlon Samuels and Lendl Simmons.
