Sammy confident of series victory
BASSETERRE, St Kitts, (CMC) – West Indies captain Darren Sammy was confident that his side could beat Pakistan in the second Test, starting today at Warner Park, and wrap up a rare series victory.
The Windies previously won back-to-back Tests nine years ago, when they swept Bangladesh in a two-Test, away series.
West Indies are certain that they can achieve further success, following a 40-run victory in the first Test last Sunday at the Guyana National Stadium, breaking a sequence of 17 matches without a win.
“The victory was a boost in confidence for the guys,” said Sammy on the eve of the match.
“The belief in the team is improving, and everybody believes that they can go out there and win against Pakistan.
“We celebrated our Test victory. Now we’re back at work, and focusing on the second Test.”
There is an extra special reason why West Indies will be looking forward to the Test – sixth place in the World Test Rankings at the expense of the Pakistanis await them if they can either win or draw here.
“We, as a team, when we met in Barbados before the Sri Lanka tour (in January), we had our plan for the next three years, where we wanted to be, and so far we’re working very hard to achieve that target,” he said.
“Moving up the rankings is definitely one of our team goals, so we all know what’s at stake.
“We have that at the back of our minds, which will be motivation for the guys. Winning a series at home against a higher-ranked team would be a massive boost.”
The Windies will weigh the option of making changes to their squad, specifically the position of Devon Smith.
The left-handed opener has struggled for runs, but his dismissal to part-time off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez has not engendered much confidence, and would not be surprising to see teenager Kraigg Brathwaite in the line-up.
“He has over 40-something hundreds (at all levels) in his short career, and it shows me the mental toughness he comes with,” said Sammy about Brathwaite.
“That’s what we are asking for, guys to be mentally strong and be able to go out there and bat for long periods, and he has those attributes in him.”
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq said his team was ready, and motivated to do well to avoid losing the series.
“You never live in the past,” he said. “We are just hoping this is an opportunity to come and play good cricket and try to win this Test match.
“Rankings are important but, to me, every game is important, and we’re just focusing on the game.”
Two Tests have been played at Warner Park, since it was redeveloped ahead of the 2007 World Cup. Both have ended in high-scoring draws, and the conditions again seem to favour a similar result.
Squads:
West Indies (from): Darren Sammy (captain), Devendra Bishoo, Carlton Baugh Jr, Darren Bravo, Kraigg Brathwaite, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Brendan Nash, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons, Devon Smith.
Pakistan (from): Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Abdur Rehman, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Hammad Azam, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Salman, Saeed Ajmal, Tanvir Ahmed, Taufiq Umar, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz.