KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC-Veteran Shriv Chanderpaul says he is anxious to improve his game when West Indies face New Zealand in the second and final cricket test at Sabina Park Jamaica tomorrow.
Chanderpaul, a usually reliable middle order batsman, was caught behind for a duck in West Indies mammothfirst innings total of 522 in the first test in Antigua.
The 37-year-old Guyanese, who has slipped two places in the ICC test rankings to number four, says he wants to be among the runs in Jamaica.
“It seems to be a habit. Lots of times when runs scoring I am not into it” said Chanderpaul who now trails South Africa’s Hashim Amla’s by just six ratings points in the ICC test rankings.
“But I am hoping I can change that and hopefully get some runs in this test match and hopefully everybody else performs also”.
West Indies will be hoping for a rare series win needing only to avoid defeat to take the two-match series following their victory in Antigua on Sunday. Chanderpaul said the team has renewed confidence ahead of the second test. “It is a new game I know we have some confidence coming from the last game but still we have to assess again. We have to go out and play well and once we do that we can come out on top again” he told reporters at a news conference in Kingston yesterday.
“We have been playing some top teams around the world and we have been taking test matches into the last day and it is something we have not done a lot of in the past and now we have been doing more of it and one day we would be able to turn the corners”. Meantime, opening batsman Kieran Powell has been reflecting on a sterling performance with the bat in the first test, where he scored his maiden century.
“It is always important for any batsman to have the first century out of the way in any level of cricket so in doing that it makes me feel I can do it again” said Powell as he prepared to bat on a Sabina Park Pitch expected to be more conducive to a full result than in Antigua.
“But in Sabina Park different conditions exist so I have to assess again and hopefully take it from there” Powell added.
