- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 08/Jul 04:15

Daren Sammy: West Indies batsmen must ‘find a way’

WEST Indies coach Daren Sammy has called on his batsmen to lift their game as his bowlers continue to hold their own in the three-match Test series against Australia. Australia hold an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series with victories at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados and at the National Cricket Stadium in St George's, Grenada. In the second Test match, the West Indies bowlers were able to restrict Australia to less than 300 runs in both innings. However, 253 in the first innings by the Windies and 143 in the second gave Australia a comfortable 133-run victory on July 6, and the series with one match remaining. In a post-match media conference, Sammy said he knows Australia are stacked with high-class bowlers but his batsmen must find a way to grind it out. "We all know we are playing against the number-one team in the world (with) four quality bowlers in the top ten (rankings)...We just have not shown when it is tough, to find a way to absorb pressure." The Australian quartet of right-arm pacer Pat Cummins (third), right-arm fast bowler Josh Hazlewood (fourth), off-spinner Nathan Lyon (seventh) and left-arm quick Mitchell Starc (tenth) are all in the top ten in the International Cricket Council Test bowling rankings. West Indies have an impressive bowling line up of their own, but only pacer Jayden Seales (ninth) is in the top ten. Sammy commended his bowlers for being competitive. "Our bowling, we can't fault them. They have gotten 40 wickets I think (in both matches). I don't know when was the last time we got 40 wickets against a top three team in two Test matches. The bowlers are doing their job. "Yes, there could be more improvement in terms of being more disciplined, but we can't fault them. They are doing their job, it is just that our batting has not been up to par against a really good bowling attack." Sammy said he accepts that his players need time to continue to develop. "I do understand the journey that I took on (when accepting the job). Rome is not going to built in a day. A little bit of patience (is needed), a little bit of reality as to where we are at. It is something that we are aware off and we continue to put in the work." He said he will weigh his options for the final Test. "We do have a couple more options. Obviously (for) both sides, it has been really challenging for the top order, more challenging for us because they find a way in the middle order to score runs and get 250-plus in the first innings. We have not found that. Our lower order – eight, nine and ten – has been really good and we have seen glimpses of what we can do as a team. Definitely, we will have a look at that, see what guys are in the squad." Asked if struggling opener Kraigg Brathwaite will be selected for the next match, Sammy said, "All options are on the table. Kraigg has just played his 100th Test match. He has not looked good this series and in a team where you are searching for performances, you are getting very close in saying, 'Do we give somebody else a chance?' "We will have a really good discussion – myself, the selection group and the captain himself (Roston Chase) – about that particular situation." Brathwaite has scored just 15 runs in four innings in the series. He was stripped of the captaincy prior to this series owing to poor form with the bat. The third and final match of the series will be a day/night Test at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica, starting on July 12. The post Daren Sammy: West Indies batsmen must ‘find a way’ appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.