Darren Sammy reposes confidence in Chris Gayle ahead of ICC World Cup, 2011
West Indies captain Darren Sammy expects his opening batsmen Chris Gayle to shine at the ICC World Cup 2011.
Gayle is one of the star attractions of the premier tournament; fans are expecting great things from the left-handed batsman who can be one of the most destructive batsmen in the world when in full flow. He has already given a taste
of that brilliance in a warm-up match against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758, by smacking a quick-fire half century.
Gayle relinquished captaincy last year to concentrate on prolonging his career at the top of the innings in all three formats of the game.
Sammy, who replaced him, thinks that the World Cup is an ideal platform for Gayle to demonstrate his talents.
“We know how destructive he could be and how tough he could be at the top of the order. We just saw a glimpse of that today. I am sure he will come good in this World Cup,” he said.
The http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760 have been consistent with the bat lately; their weakness lies with their inconsistent bowling performances while defending large totals. Their failure to defend a 280 plus total in the warm up tie against Sri Lanka
typified the problem. The fielding also faltered; the Caribbean side spilled some relatively simple chances in the match against the Lankans.
“Obviously catches win matches and we all know that. We are working hard towards making the best of the opportunities in the field. We all know how crucial it would be in the World Cup, so we are trying hard on improving ourselves
when it comes to catching,” Sammy said.
The West Indies have been in Sri Lanka for nearly a month; they played a three-match ODI series before their warm-up matches, and are keen to use that experience to their advantage.
“The conditions here have been very good. We got to play two practice games and our preparations have been very useful. Now it's up to us to put the preparations into play,” Sammy said.
The West Indies have a rich history in the World Cup having won the first two editions in 1975 and 1979 which were held in England. They have since made it to only two more semi-finals.
The Caribbean team in recent years has failed to play as a unit; infighting and grouping has been rampant and pay disputes with the West Indies Cricket Board has had adverse affects on their performance on the field as well.
The real challenge for Sammy is to galvanize his troops and hope for Gayle to wreak havoc in the opposition’s ranks.
The West Indies start their World Cup campaign against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Delhi-c780.
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