(WICB) Kingston, Jamaica – Darren Sammy is confident his team can defeat New Zealand in the second Digicel Test match and win the two-match Digicel Test Series. The allrounder spoke on the eve of the second match and said everyone is ready to perform at peak level over the next five days at Sabina Park.
First ball on Thursday is 10 a.m. (11 a.m. Eastern Caribbean Time).
Having won the first Digicel Test on a batsman-friendly pitch at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua on Sunday, the West Indies only need a draw to claim the trophy. However, Sammy said the aim is a victory on a Sabina Park pitch expected to offer assistance to the bowlers.
“1-0 is only halfway there; we’re thinking 2-0. We want to win here. If we can’t get a win we would settle for a draw, but we go into this match looking for another win … been a long time since we last won two Test matches in a row,” Sammy said. “The pitch here is supposed to be quicker than over in Antigua. Jamaica normally has some pace and bounce, so we know what to expect. Normally the pitch has early moisture.”
The captain was speaking on Wednesday following an early morning training session in hot, steamy conditions in Kingston as the island commemorated Emancipation Day. The home side has dominated the visitors on the ongoing tour. The Windies won the two-match Digicel T20 Series 2-0 in south Florida. They then overpowered the tourists to win 4-1 in the Digicel One-Day International Series played in Jamaica and St Kitts.
Sammy said the Windies won’t enter the game “over-confident” as they expect a fightback from the Black Caps.
“It’s always good when your top-order fires. When you get a 200-run partnership for the first wicket, that is sure to do the team a world of good. Everyone is looking to perform. We are in a good frame of mind. We are winning the key moments in the matches. The work we have put in over the last year or two is finally coming together.
“We are playing against an international team. We won’t take them for granted. We won’t be complacent. They have some good players in their line-up and although we’re confident we won’t go into the match thinking we can just roll them over,” Sammy said.
“We know this is a Test match and in this format of the game you have to make sure you stay focussed on the job at all time. It’s a good feeling when you’re winning. I remember the feeling we had in the T20s and in the ODIs …so it’s a feeling we want to keep in our dressing room.”
Sammy added: “Winning is important for any team. For us, when it doesn’t come around that often, we have to make sure that when we are in a position to win we take it. To win this Test series would be great for us and for the people who support us and who believe in us.”
