Sammy: Championship points vital for West Indies

The West Indies begin a crucial five-match One Day International series against New Zealand on Saturday with valuable ICC points at stake as they continue their push towards automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup.

The opening match will be played at Providence Stadium in Guyana, where the West Indies will look to improve their position after slipping near the bottom of the ODI standings and falling outside the automatic qualification places.

Head coach Daren Sammy pointed to the importance of the series.

“These games are very crucial for us, you know. The goal is to qualify for the World Cup and we’re working towards that. So hopefully the surface that’s there, we could play well and get the results we want against New Zealand,” he stated.

Sammy maintained that the West Indies have enough quality in their squad to provide stiff opposition for New Zealand but added that success will come down to the players applying themselves on the field.

“We have some newcomers, some guys returning and some experienced guys. It’s a good blend. We just have to make sure that we go out and execute well and  we have the players for what the conditions might present to us, “ Sammy explained.

He also revealed the squad is still upbeat after completing a test series win against Sri Lanka, with a number of those players also being selected for the ODI series against New Zealand.

Sammy explained that, “It’s always good to start a new series with a previous series win, but New Zealand presents a new challenge. I think they’re in the top three teams in the world in ODI cricket. 

“The guys, the batsmen especially, have been putting in a lot of hard work. And it’s always good to see the hard work being rewarded through performance. Hopefully those batters who are coming through the test

series could continue from where they left off and put in consistent performances that could affect us in winning matches.” 

The inclusion of Vitel Lawes has been heavily debated since the squad was named earlier this week. The 19-year-old has been training with the senior squad, following a strong performance at the U19 World Cup.

Sammy, who also serves as the chief selector, has backed the inclusion of Lawes, who he believes has a lot to offer.

“I know there’s a lot of chatter going on about him being here, but I’ve been a big advocate in trying to introduce these types of spinners, especially wrist spinners. We see how effective it is against us in the white ball format. Now is a good chance to give him that opportunity,”  said Sammy.

The coach refrained from describing Lawes as a “secret weapon” but again asserted that it was good to have a left arm wrist spinner in the squad.

(KH)