KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent - Darren Sammy starred with the ball on Wednesday as the West Indies had a comprehensive victory by 141 runs over Zimbabwe in the third Digicel One-Day International. Bowling first change on a helpful pitch at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex, Sammy said he was determined to destroy the Zimbabwean batting and took career-best figures of 4-26 off 10 overs.
Fast bowler Kemar Roach (3-28) helped Sammy rip through the Zimbabwe batting line-up after a Shivnarine Chanderpaul (58) led the West Indies to 245-9 off their allotted 50 overs. Zimbabwe were bowled out for 104 off 31.5 overs. The Windies now have a 2-1 lead in the five-match Digicel Series.
“I am very pleased with my performance and most of all I am pleased that the team won and we now have a lead in the series. It was a total team effort and as a team we are very happy. We want to continue improving and win again in the two matches to come. I was asked by the captain to create pressure and that is what I did.
"Today the pitch had some grass and it was helping my seam bowling so I knew I had to pitch the ball up, and try to get some movement off the seam. That is exactly what we did and we got the results that we were looking for,” said Sammy who was named Man-of-the-Match.
“What I always aim to do is to create pressure … that’s the kind of bowler I am … that’s the kind of job I am asked to do. Whether the wicket falls at my end or at the other end, it does not matter, once it is beneficial to the team.”
The Windies Number 88 added: “After what we went through in Australia, we wanted to show that we were still ‘there’ in world cricket. Today’s victory and the effort we demonstrated is what we are looking for. We won convincingly and it shows that when we execute our disciplines well, it shows that we are ‘there’ with the other teams. I am striving to be consistent in all my performances and I always try to do well when I put on the West Indies shirt. I just plan to work hard day in and day out and always give it my best, like I did today.”
Captain Chris Gayle praised Sammy for his brilliant effort and also lauded the team for the fight they showed on the field.
“It was definitely a team effort and I am very happy with the result. Well done Darren Sammy. He was asked to deliver today and he did so in great style. After losing the first match of the series, we have started to show signs of improvement so we want to continue that and lift the standards even higher. It feels good to win, but this is the beginning. I am sure Zimbabwe will come back hard at us on Friday and we should not get too carried away now.”
The West Indies will have a full training session on Thursday morning at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex. The fourth Digicel ODI will be on Friday and the fifth and final Digicel ODI on Sunday. Both matches start at 9:30 am (8:30 am Jamaica Time).
St. Vincent News