KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Axed West Indies Test vice-captain, Jermaine Blackwood, says he intends to use the upcoming first class championship to recapture his place in the international squad.
The 32-year-old, who has played 56 Tests, was dropped for the ongoing two-Test tour of Australia due to a run of lean form which saw him average 29.5 from 13 Tests over the last year-and-a-half.
Blackwood also said once he regained his side in the squad, he would look to expand his reach to the One-Day International setup.
“I’m just looking to score the most runs and to dominate the four-day competition this year and get back into the Test team; it’s as simple as that,” he told the Observer newspaper here.
“I have to get runs and I know that, so I just have to go out there and do it.
“I always want to play ODIs and once I get back into the West Indies team, I’m going to play ODIs cricket after that.”
Blackwood is currently gearing up for the first class championship where he will do battle with Jamaica Scorpions.
And the franchise will hope Blackwood’s experience can aid in a turnaround of their form which saw them go winless in the championship last season, ending bottom of the table on 25.6 points.
Blackwood averaged nearly 40 in his four innings in the five-match season.
He said preparation for the February 7 to April 20 campaign had advanced smoothly and also said he was expecting high standards of performance throughout, despite the inexperience in the group.
“The guys are loving it so far. It’s hard work but the guys are putting in the hard work because four-day cricket is not easy,” Blackwood pointed out.
“It’s going to be four long days so we’re getting in all of the necessary hard work from now so that the guys can become used to a certain type of work so when they face it in competition, it will be a walk in the park for them.”
He continued: “Players are just identifying their roles in the team but we have a young team. But not because we have a young team [means] we shouldn’t expect them to do well.
“These players that we have, these younger players, are very good in my eyes. I know that this four-day [competition], we’re going to see a much-improved team from last year.”