Hove: West Indies captain Darren Sammy has been at pains to point out the importance of team work in a squad bereft of major stars.<\/p>\n
Sammy told reporters after his team’s first training session ahead of their three-Test tour that moulding a unit was the most important item on the agenda for the team management, instead of heavy reliance on individual stars.<\/p>\n
West Indies will be without former skipper Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, all of whom are experienced in English conditions.<\/p>\n
“Last time we came (to England), we had a whole lot of big names and the Lord’s Test was over in two-and-a-half days. We haven’t got the same big names now, but aim to be very competitive,” Sammy contended.<\/p>\n
“The guys work hard for each other. Ever since coach Gibson came on board he has tried to instil the professional attitude. The team’s motto is to display a positive, ‘can-do’ attitude at all the times.<\/p>\n
“The whole mindset is about doing it for the West Indies people. That is at the forefront of our minds. The guys are starting to shape like a family, and you can see that when we are on the field. For me the job is getting easier and easier.”<\/p>\n
West Indies are coming off a strong performance in the recent series against Australia where they drew the five-match one-day series 2-2, tied the two-match Twenty20 series 1-1 before losing the three-Test series, 2-0.<\/p>\n
Despite the disappointing Test result, the West Indies made Australia work hard for their victories, a feature Sammy hopes will continue against England.<\/p>\n
“I think we are coming from a tough series in the Caribbean,” Sammy explained.<\/p>\n
“We have played some good cricket in the last year-and-a-half, and we are quite confident we can come to England and play well, so everyone is looking forward to May 17, when the real thing starts.<\/p>\n
“It’s never an easy thing to play England on home soil. They are quite a strong team when they play in their own backyard. What I can tell you about our side is that we will come and play with a never-say-die attitude.” <\/p>\n
West Indies begin the series as massive underdogs, especially with England the current number one-ranked team in the world.<\/p>\n
West Indies are ranked number seventh and have won just three of their last 31 Tests, with one of those victories coming against minnows Bangladesh.<\/p>\n
With head coach Ottis Gibson serving as England bowling coaching prior to his current appointment, Sammy believes the West Indies can use his insider knowledge as an advantage.<\/p>\n
“We have a good coach and he has a lot of experience in England, so I know he will make sure the information in the dressing room is clear and we will try to execute our plans,” the all-rounder said.<\/p>\n
“It is good having him in the dressing room and the guys are slowly, but surely buying into what he is trying to instil in this team.<\/p>\n
“We have been taking 20 wickets over the last year-and-a-half, and I must give the coach credit for this. All of the bowlers have commended him for the work he has done with them.” (IANS)<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hove: West Indies captain Darren Sammy has been at pains to point out the importance of team work in a squad bereft of major stars. Sammy told reporters after his team’s first training session ahead of their three-Test tour that moulding a unit was the most important item on the agenda for the team management, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-world-cricket-news"],"yoast_head":"\n