1-0 down, the tourists aim to bounce back and square the series

est Indies One Day International (ODI) captain Shai Hope insists that the Men In Maroon will view the second contest of three against Sri Lanka as a must-win, after dropping the first rain-affected fixture by five wickets.

 

All three matches are being played at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy. So far, the pitches have proven conducive to spin, which played a significant role in the 2-1 T20I series win for the hosts. Now already a game behind in the 50-over format, the visitors will be desperate to make amends on Wednesday.

 

Hope, who will be tasked with playing a steadying role in the middle order should his top-order fail, acknowledged the disappointment of losing the first game but believes that the Caribbean side can bounce back with a stronger, more cohesive performance.

 

“We did some drawing board prep; we know exactly what’s in front of us and so we have to play the next game like a final,” said the 30-year-old Hope. “We see where we are in terms of the rankings on the world stage and we have to find ways to get better and improve quickly.

 

“Having said that, we’ve got to make sure we take each game at a time, and seeing what happened in the previous game, we’ve got to look at the learnings that we can find there and understand how we need to improve in terms of our bowling and batting. So I think we got our work cut out; the conversations that we’ve had over the last 48 hours or so have been pretty good, and I think that we’re in good headspace to bounce back,” he added.

 

The West Indies fell short in the first game, largely due to lapses in the bowling department, as Sri Lanka was set a revised total of 232 based on the Duckworth Lewis method.

 

Despite a promising start in which they snared three wickets in the PowerPlay, they were unable to see off the game, and Sri Lanka chased down their target comfortably. Only Gudakesh Motie (3-47) and Alzarri Joseph (2-39) showed little fight with the ball.

 

With that in mind, Hope pointed to the need for more consistency from his players, particularly in capitalising on strong starts and finishing innings with authority.

 

“Challenging conditions are all part of the game. We would have hoped that the rain didn’t come in to play a factor, but having said that, we’ve got to find ways to negate that. We can’t focus too much on things we can’t control,” Hope asserted. “We definitely can’t control the weather, so we’ve got to find ways to bowl with the wet ball if we have to do it again in the next game.

 

“I just think our lines and lengths have to be better depending on whichever surface you’re playing on. I think regardless of if it’s wet or not, we got to make sure our lines and lengths are a lot better as a bowling group and then when we’re batting, I think we need to show a bit more intent,” he said. “So I think those are the key areas that we need to focus on going into the next game.”

 

Knowing very well that the series is on the line, Hope is urging his teammates to step up and deliver a performance that showcases their potential, even more so to take the Sri Lankan spinners out of their comfort zones.

 

“Obviously, we got to look at the powerplay. We need to see how we are going to attack the Powerplay and then how we are going to attack their spinners to put them under pressure in some way,” Hope argued. “If we’ve got to play different shots, if we’ve got to look at different scoring areas, push a little bit harder to make them think.

 

“If we just allow them to set and bowl, then they’re going to be all over us. So as a team, as a batting group, we’ve got to ensure we put a lot more pressure on their bowlers so we can give ourselves the best chance to get big scores on the board.”

 

Bowling coach James Franklin, a former New Zealand all-rounder, agreed that the bowling had to be a lot better than it was in the opening match. He, too, is hopeful that the team will have a much better outing on Wednesday.

 

“Going into the next game, I think we can be a lot better with our execution, with our lengths, particularly,” Franklin said. “We’re 1-0 down in this three-game series. We’ve got a couple of days now to reflect and work on where our improvements lie going into this next game.

 

“We’re on a journey as an ODI team, and we have to keep improving, keep trying to move ourselves up the rankings in terms of the ICC table. We’re coming here to Sri Lanka, who has always been a good team in their own country and difficult to beat in their own conditions, so we know we have a huge challenge these next couple of games.”

 

First ball is scheduled for 5 a.m. Wednesday, Eastern Caribbean time.

(SportsMax/TF)