ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – Off-spinner Shane Shillingford says he relishes his record breaking performance which catapulted West Indies to a 65 run win over Zimbabwe on the third day of the second test at Windsor Park in Dominica yesterday.
Shillingford grabbed ten for 93 in the game to take Man-of-the-Match honours and finished with 19 wickets in the series to nail the Man-of-the-Series award.
The Dominican off-spinner shattered the West Indies record for the most wickets in a two-test series, 16, which was set by former fast bowler Courtney Walsh in New Zealand in 1995.“Definitely that feels good breaking a record of the great Courtney Walsh,” declared Shillingford after the match.
“Certainly not matching with him but reaching that milestone is a great feeling. I just pray that I continue giving performances like these”.
Shillingford has also become only the eighth Caribbean cricketer to capture 10 wickets in a Test match on two or more occasions.
His five for 34 in the second innings triggered a Zimbabwe collapse thirty minutes before the scheduled tea time interval.
“While I was going through the overs the captain was always telling me ‘take five, take five, take another one’..there was a little bit of pressure on me .But I just concentrated,” said Shillingford.
“I knew at some point he was going to give it away (Cremer) so it was just a matter of being patient and everything”.
On Monday, Shillingford made the biggest climb among West Indies cricketers in the latest ICC player rankings, racing 19 places up the chart to 41st in the bowler’s rankings.
“I am starting to be a bit more patient being a spinner,” he said.
“You are going to meet places where the wicket is a bit friendly but you still don’t have to get carried away. You still have to put the ball in the right places”.