COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, CMC – Jermaine Blackwood’s confidence has remained unshakened by West Indies’ heavy innings and six-run defeat in the first Test last week, and the right-hander said he will continue to play in his natural aggressive way when the second Test bowls off later this week.
The 23-year-old, in his 11th Test, produced an attacking 92 in the second innings of the Galle Test as West Indies were dismissed for 227 on the penultimate day of the game.
And Blackwood, who has already developed quite a reputation for his bold stroke-play, said once he mixed his aggression with long periods at the crease, he would definitely be among the runs.
“I am looking forward to the second Test. I am very excited and really looking forward to playing again on Thursday,” he said.
“It’s all about being patient, once I’m patient I know I’m going to make runs. Once I bat a day or four sessions, three sessions, I know I’m going to make runs. It’s all comes down to application and once I’m there [at the crease] I know I’m going to get runs.
“It’s about how I think and I how I go about my game. I am just here trying to get the team over the line and trying to play for the team every time I go out there.”
Blackwood failed in the first innings with 11 as West Indies were dismissed for 251 and forced to follow on 233 runs behind, in response to Sri Lanka’s massive 484 all out. However, he rebounded in the second innings, cracking ten fours and three sixes in a knock that comprised 135 balls and lasted just over 3-3/4 hours.
“It was a pretty good innings. I made a mistake in the first innings, playing at a ball outside the off-stump that I shouldn’t have been playing at,” Blackwood explained.
“After I got out, I went back and [re-thought] my innings and when I got out there in the second innings I just told myself I wasn’t going to play any balls outside off-stump early up and in the end I got a good result.
“In the end I was trying to push on for the century but unfortunately I got out … but I think it was a very decent innings.”
A feature of Blackwood’s innings was the use of his feet against the spinners. All three sixes were straight hits off the spinners, including two in one over from left-armer Rangana Herath who took ten wickets in the match.
“That’s my strength, hitting straight. Once the bowler comes pretty full, I’m going to hit him pretty straight,” Blackwood said bluntly.
“At the time it was me and the number 11 (Shannon Gabriel) who were batting. I would turn and look at the scoreboard when I was batting as I was trying to get our score as close to the Sri Lanka score as possible.
“I had to be in an attacking mood and defensive mood at the same time. I just had to stay patient and once the ball is my area I was going to hit it … I was just trying to take the team as close as possible to the total.”
The second and final Test bowls off at the P Sara Oval here on Thursday.
