WINDIES QUICK SHANNON GABRIEL ANTICIPATES A RETURN TO TESTS

By Brandon Corlette

In his virtual press conference on Thursday, West Indies fast bowler Shannon Gabriel disclosed that the incident involving him and England captain Joe Root in the Caribbean last year was blown out of proportion.

Recalling that incident, which occurred the last time England played the West Indies, Gabriel had asked Root if he liked boys.

“That was in the past,” Gabriel said. “I don’t think about it too much. I am just looking forward for the future now, to come out and play good cricket, if selected.”
He opined that the way in which that incident was dealt with suggested th

at it had been blown out of proportion.
“The story that was told wasn’t entirely truth, (but) I just want to move on,” he said.
Asked if there would be ‘anything’ between himself and Root, Gabriel responded: “No hard feelings! We come here to play cricket, and whether it’s Root or Ben Stokes or whoever, I will just do my best to try and get them out. So, it’s not like targeting players or anything like that.”

Gabriel is currently on the list of reserves as he seeks to find his feet proverbially and regain full fitness to participate in this all-important Test series. The 32-year-old last played a Test match in September 2019, and has since been in recovery mode, after sustaining an ankle injury.
Confronting questions about his fitness, Gabriel has rated himself at 85-90% fit.

“…well, right now, I think about 85-90% fit. In terms of match readiness, I still have a

lot more work to do.
“Thankfully,” Gabriel declared, “we have at least three weeks before the first test. My rhythm feels good, but it’s just about getting that feeling coming back in second and third spell. Thankfully, we have two warm- up games, and this would be all new.”
With a host of bowlers on tour, Gabriel believes any one of them could put the Englishmen under pressure. “I came to England to give myself the opportunity to play a Test match,” he said.
With Assistant Coach Roddy Estwick emphasising that fitness would be essential for the pacemen, Gabriel is determined to work harder.
“After staying away from the game for so long, almost six to seven months, you are hungry to get out on the park,” he said. “I know (that) once I improve my fitness, it would be less stress on the ankle, so it would extend my career,” Gabriel highlighted.
This series will be played behind closed doors, and the stump microphones will certainly be in full echo. Gabriel has said the banter would be confined to within the rules of the game, and he anticipates that both teams would go hard at each other.
“It would be a little different, but I think this would be the new norm for a while. When you step on the field, you are playing for your country, so I think we will give it our all and try (to) win the series,” Gabriel explained.
With fast bowlers being prohibited from using saliva on the ball, Gabriel and other pacemen have been placed at a disadvantage.
“It’s hard using sweat, but this is the new norm, and we have to get on with it. We just have to work with what we have, and try and shine the ball as best as possible,” he explained.
With Gabriel as it were supervising the young fast bowlers on tour, he noted that this is a new role for him, but he said the fast bowlers are exciting, and it suggests a ‘positive’ for the West Indies.
West Indies will play their first Test match on July 8, but two practice matches will be played on June 22 and June 29.