Sammy keen on regaining lead in ODI series

It was a disaster of an outing with the bat for West Indies men when they came up against New Zealand on Monday last at the Guyana National Stadium, at Providence.
After chasing 267 with seven wickets and seven balls remaining in their first outing, the hosts were reduced to 138 in 36 overs in the following clash, allowing New Zealand to level the series.
As the teams prepare for one last dance before they jet off to Barbados for the final two matches in the five-match ODI series, Head Coach Daren Sammy is hoping his troops can leave Guyana on a positive note.
During a pre-match interview, Sammy admitted that his batters needed to be more aware of the game situation on Monday.
“I think we all know what the big difference was between game one and two; you know, we didn’t bat as well as we should have, in conditions we’re quite familiar with,” the West Indies head coach shared. “So, it’s important for us as a batting group to be a little bit more aware of the situation and assess a little faster as to what is required on the surface and what is a good total on that surface. Yes, the conditions are challenging, but if we stick with the process of how we want to go about doing things, we give ourselves a better chance of executing our batting plans.
Sammy added, “The bowling was good; we made them fight for the total, but we all saw if we put a better score on the board, we’d be in a better position to win.”
Further discussing their batting, Sammy is hoping to develop a culture of ‘setting totals’.
“It seems like whoever wins the toss looks to bowl first, but we have to become a team that could set totals and also defend them, and we’re working on that. We just need to apply that same mindset we have in the chase, whether it be a turning wicket, which is what we’re faced with now in Guyana, but it’s something we really have to get better at,” Sammy explained.
“One of the better players of spin” was the description utilised by the gaffer, as he appreciated Shimron Hetmyer’s inclusion in the squad.
The coach opined, “Shimron is a unique case, you know; he’s from Guyana, one of our better players of spin in the team, so it’s good to have him available to us, especially at home. We all know how he plays in these conditions. So, hopefully he can come and have an impact on the game and on winning for us; it’s good to have him back in the squad.”
As the coach eyes a series win, Sammy is eager to return to winning ways today.
“The message is still to stay in the moment; all the things we discuss, all the plans we have in place for the opposition, it’s all about execution. Trusting the process is something that we’ve been preaching, and one of the areas we really wanted to improve is our home success. I think, apart from the Sri Lanka series that was rain-affected, we’ve had a good record at home, so we want to keep that record, and we’ll do that, trying to go into Barbados one up,” Sammy shared.
The West Indies and New Zealand will be engaged in battle from 14:30h today at the National Stadium.