Lagging in the lower half of the world rankings for the past decade, the West Indies are now on a mission to make an upward move.
In an interview on the eve of the second Digicel Test against Pakistan which started at Warner Park yesterday, captain Darren Sammy revealed that even before the series started, the team had a plan to improve on their present No.7 position in the International Cricket Council’s rankings.
“We as a team, when we met in Barbados before the Sri Lanka tour, we had our plan for the next three years, where we want to be and so far we are working very hard in achieving that target; so moving up the rankings is definitely one of our team goals,” Sammy said.
West Indies lead the two-match series 1-0 after logging a 40-run victory in the first Test in Guyana, and a series victory will see them overtake Pakistan in the rankings.
Sammy, who took over the captaincy last year from Chris Gayle for the Test tour of Sri Lanka, credits the change in the Windies’ fortunes to the hard work done by head coach Ottis Gibson, batting consultant Desmond Haynes and fielding coach David Williams.
“The guys are willing to put in the extra effort in order for us to perform and it has been showing in the last three outings we’ve had.”
The West Indies, after losing the first three One-Day Internationals of the preceding limited-overs series against Pakistan, rebounded to win the last two ODIs.
“It is all about doing the right things in order for us to become a better performing team,” Sammy noted.
“We are taking a step in the right direction and players are starting to take on board what the head coach and the management team are trying to put forward,” he added.
Sammy, who led from the front and grabbed the Man-Of-The-Match award for his seven wickets in the Guyana Test, including his fourth five-wicket haul in the second innings, said he was prepared to be the team’s “workhorse” with his steady fast-medium bowling.
“We all have roles in the team and I’ve clearly understood what my role in the team is. It is to build pressure and be the workhorse of the team. I have accepted that. That’s how I’ve played through my career,” said Sammy, who has taken 36 wickets in 12 Tests at an average of 26.52.
“We have the strike bowlers in (Ravi) Rampaul, (Kemar) Roach and (Devendra) Bishoo. It’s good when I take wickets as well, but everybody understands their role in the team and it is about going out there and executing your role to the best of your ability,” he explained.
