While there were contrasting moods following a comprehensive 27-run win by West Indies over England yesterday in the first game of the three match T20 series, there were common injury concerns even if not of the same intensity.
Key Windies spinner Sunil Narine injured his right knee as he slid while chasing a ball in the outfield while England captain Stuart Broad, also troubled by persistent tendonitis in his right knee, will take no further part in the series.
The news from the West Indies camp is much more encouraging with WICB communications officer Philip Spooner indicating there was no major concern surrounding Narine.
“He’s fine. Yea he’ll get a scan tomorrow but CJ (Clarke-team physio) says he is expecting him to be okay,” Spooner said at the post-match briefing.
England on the other hand, will have to stage their rearguard action after going one down, without their captain who prefers to bow out now with the expectation of being ready for the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh, that follows this three match series.
“I’ll have to have a rehab period at some stage in the next 12 months which is between six to ten weeks I think but there is a decent period at the end of the English season which I can look at probably. Maybe four weeks in April but it won’t put me in doubt for the World Cup. It’s just got to a stage at the minute where I can’t move so I need to treat it before the World Cup,” Broad explained.
The West Indies also got the better of the actual cricketing exchanges as the home side, led by a forthright innings of 69 from Man-of-the Match Marlon Samuels gave the huge crowd at Kensington much to cheer about.
“England is a very good team. We have been playing some good cricket on and off but we are still working on some good team plans and today the team plan all round come together. It worked for us so it’s for us to continue working hard as a team and as a unit and putting in some hard work and come up with the goods more often than not,” Samuels said after the match.
It was a welcome return to form for the talented Jamaican middle order batsman who has been inconsistent since his return from an eye injury sustained just over a year ago.
“When you on top of your game and then you get injured and you have to go under the knife and the surgeon and stuff, it’s something that plays on your mind. It’s just for you as the person to know that the only way you can get back to where you were is just put yourself in that mind frame that nothing has happened. You haven’t done the surgery and try to set yourself the big target and go out there.
“But nevertheless injuries will come and if you don’t get injured that means you not doing anything. So I guess I’ll continue to put in some serious work. Hopefully I can play this year with no injury and go through the year and you’ll be definitely looking for some big things from me for 2014,” said Samuels.
