Sammy banking on http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 Test series – Cricket News Update
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DJG-Sammy-c1382, on Monday singled out talismanic opener Chris Gayle’s importance in the side, going into the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, commencing in Dhaka on Tuesday, November 13, 2012.
"We all know Chris is one of our most experienced players. All our batsmen love to bat with him," the St Lucia all-rounder said while speaking to media reporters at the pre-match press conference. "When he is batting it becomes much easier as there is no pressure on you to score. He normally passes on his experience to the youngster. Hopefully what he is doing at the top of the order continues to be beneficial for the team," he added further.
The Jamaican hard-hitter is the most prolific Caribbean century-maker in one-day cricket, with 20 tons in 234 matches since his ODI debut in 1999. His Test record is equally impressive with 14 hundreds and 34 fifties from 93 appearances, at an average exceeding 42.
The two-match Test series against Bangladesh is only Gayle’s second five-day assignment since returning to the national setup after ending a year-long standoff with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) in June this year. In the last Test series, against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 at home, the left-hander returned as the highest run-scorer from West Indian ranks (second overall) with 230 runs in four innings, at a startling average of 76.66.
He was also one of the key contributors in West Indies' World T20 triumph in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 last month, where he finished as the fourth-highest run getter of the tournament.
Sammy, who took over as West Indies' Test skipper from Chris Gayle two years ago, also hinted at playing uncapped left-arm orthodox spinner http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Veerasammy-Permaul-c94981 in the series opener, owing to the spin friendly nature of the Shere Bangla National Stadium pitch.
"We had a combination we used in the past but there is young Permaul who has a good chance of playing. He came here with the academy and the high performance centre and did really well," said Sammy.
The second Test between Bangladesh and West Indies will be played in Khulna (November 21-25), and will be followed by five One Day Internationals and a Twenty20 International.
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