Brendon McCullum raring to go against West Indies – Cricket News Update
New Zealand’s veteran batsman and wicketkeeper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760 at the Warner Park in Basseterre, St Kitts today on July 14, has stated that he is mentally
prepared, and eager to have a crack at the host team, which has proven to be a formidable challenge for the Kiwis.
The Black Caps’ tour of the United States and the West Indies has been largely dominated by the Windies, who clinched a 2-0 victory in the T20I leg of the tour in Florida, before following that up with two consecutive victories in the first and second ODIs
of the ongoing 5-match series.
"I feel mentally fresh, mentally ready to go. There's going to be some challenges to try and overcome, but I'm confident I can play a role in the team and add some runs at the top of the order as well."
Among the factors cited in defence of the poor performances was lack of preparation - the last time the Kiwis played as a team was in March this year, while the Windies came into the tour straight off two consecutive series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013.
"When you come up against a team that is match-hardened, it can be a little difficult at times," McCullum admitted.
Another prime factor was the absence of key players, which had particularly weakened the batting order. With hard hitter http://www.senore.com/Cricket/JD-Ryder-c1679 and star batsman Brendon McCullum absent from the ranks, the team went on to suffer 4 consecutive defeats, largely owing
to feeble batting performances.
However, the visitors recently rallied and put forth a valiant performance, clinching an 88-run victory in the 3rd ODI to keep the series alive, bringing the score up to 2-1 – a performance which the burly batsman went on to appreciate.
"In the last game, the boys definitely upped the ante a lot more - you could notice the hustle in the field, and a little more desperation," McCullum said.
In addition to the confidence gained from their recent win, McCullum’s arrival has also bolstered the team in a big way. The 30-year-old flew into St Kitts 20 hours before the 3rd ODI was due to commence, and while he could not feature in the
3rd match, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Daniel-Flynn-c1309 has been moved out of the line-up to make way for him at number 3 for the 4th ODI – a crunch game for the Kiwis, as they look to level the series.
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