Sammy: West Indies 'on course' to achieve their WTC goal
West Indies head coach Daren Sammy hopes their batting unit becomes more consistent having now found dependable players for several positions. Ahead of the second Test against Bangladesh, starting in Sylhet on Thursday, Sammy praised their opening pair of Brandon King and John Campbell, who put on 112 in the 170-run chase in Mirpur. That made them the first West Indies opening pair since Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes to put on multiple century opening partnerships in the fourth innings of a Test.
"Obviously, in the first year [of my coaching], we were finding the right balance in terms of players and roles allotted to them," Sammy said. "I think we have settled in quite nicely. Brandon and John at the top of the innings have probably been our best opening pair in a long time. [Kavem] Hodge started at No. 6, [before] moving into No. 4. Justin [Greaves] and Roston [Chase] moving from Nos. 5 to 7. A lot has happened in order to bring the team to a settled position.
"The work, especially the batters put in, and the preparation, that we have put in over the years led us to coming to Bangladesh where we know spin has been something that's bothered us in the past. To put out a display especially chasing a tricky total like that in the second innings, the way the guys played, we just want them to continue. Consistency in performance is the way that brings results for you in any format of the game."
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"It's going to be a big achievement," he said. "As you know, Bangladesh before this [series] was fourth in the Test championship. They have played some really good cricket, and [are] well coached by Phil [Simmons]. The last time we beat them here 2-0 [in 2021], I think Phil was the [West Indies] coach. So to come here and do that would be a massive end for us in the Test championship.
"We all know when I took over, we looked at the first three or four series - going to [play] Australia at home with a new team, then India in India, [and] then New Zealand away in New Zealand. That was a pretty tough baptism to my Test coaching career.
"It is the first time since 1994 [that] we have finished a calendar year without losing a series... So [it's the] little things like that that the team has already achieved, because we can't lose the series. It is progress - what we have been through and the challenges we face and what we have to do in spite of all those challenges."
Daren Sammy
"But these are things we spoke about in the dressing room, and we were speaking about by the time we get to Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh, with the stability that the team could have, these are where we would make inroads. We are right on course to finish with the goal we had in mind in this Test cycle."
Sammy said they already achieved something significant after the win in Dhaka by becoming the first West Indies team to remain unbeaten in a Test series in a calendar year since 1994. Before taking an unassailable lead against Bangladesh, West Indies beat Sri Lanka, and drew against Pakistan earlier this year.
"It is the first time since 1994 [that] we have finished a calendar year without losing a series," Sammy said. "In 1994, [Shivnarine] Chanderpaul was making his debut. So [it's the] little things like that that the team has already achieved, because we can't lose the series. It is progress - what we have been through and the challenges we face and what we have to do in spite of all those challenges.
"We wanted to finish 2-0. We have put ourselves in a position to do that. But knowing Bangladesh and knowing Phil the way he operates, he's going to come out for blood, and we don't expect it to be anything easy. But the preparation we have put in, we know we could counteract and come out victorious."
Like in Mirpur, Sammy said that West Indies would take a final call on the playing XI after assessing conditions on the morning of the Test. In the opening match, West Indies had initially planned to play Kemar Roach but after seeing that the curator had shaved the grass from the top of the pitch, they handed left-arm spinner Joshua Bishop a debut.
"I have had a look at the wicket yesterday, but I don't think I would make a fair assessment until the day of the game," Sammy said. "In Dhaka, the morning of the Test match when we saw the pitch, the final preparation, that's when we had to finalise our team. So we'll use that same strategy. The guys who might play or might not play depending on the surface, we've informed them about that.
"But just looking at the history here, it seems to be a very good ground where batters get value for their runs. I could say there's a lot more grass on the surface, but again, we will wait till tomorrow when they hand over the ground."
Mohammad Isam is Cricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84
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