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News

Sammy wants batsmen to be selective

Darren Sammy said that Bangladesh's 2-0 lead in the ODI series was because the home team had assessed the conditions better and tailored their game accordingly

West Indies need to win three in a row in Dhaka to win the ODI series  •  AFP

West Indies need to win three in a row in Dhaka to win the ODI series  •  AFP

West Indies captain Darren Sammy has said that Bangladesh's 2-0 lead in the ODI series was because the home team had assessed the conditions better and tailored their game accordingly. Sammy won both tosses - West Indies batted in the first game and fielded in the second - but his team was beaten comprehensively. The 160-run margin of defeat in the second ODI in Khulna was West Indies' third-heaviest loss in terms of runs.
"We have to take the pitch out of the book, if we are to win the next one and the two after that," Sammy said. "Bangladesh have played some good cricket and are showing us how to play one-day cricket on these pitches. They have assessed these conditions well and played accordingly.
"It is probably a good wake-up call for us and we'll come back harder. We are 2-0 down but we're not out. It would not be a wise thing to count us out because we have been in similar situations before and we have bounced back."
Sammy said the West Indies batsmen had missed out on runs by not being selective at the start of the innings. They made 199 in the first game, with many of their middle-order batsmen throwing wickets away to aerial shots, and the theme continued in the second match, though a fair share of batsmen couldn't work out the spinners. Chasing 292, West Indies were dismissed for 132.
"I think it is about being more selective. If you look at the kind of players we have, once we stay at the crease we are going to score runs, but we keep getting out," Sammy said. "So far we haven't been able to put good partnerships together.
"We don't really want to rely on anybody. You look to see off the two new balls so you just got to play what you see and be patient. We know we are a good boundary hitting team and once our batsmen spend time at the crease, like we showed in the Test matches, it becomes easier for us to play."
West Indies will now return to Dhaka needing to win the remaining three ODIs to clinch the series. Sammy thinks a change of scene improve his team's performances.
"The brand of cricket we play, we should have played much better. A change of scenery in Dhaka could bring a change of fortune for us, and keep the series well alive. We are 2-0 down, but we are not down and out."

Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent