Self-belief can spur us to ODI win

Ramnaresh Sarwan

Though I’m currently out of the West Indies squad, I’ve somewhat had a taste of the kind of tough battle they have experienced lately.

While the Windies plummeted to defeat by an innings and 100 runs in the decisive third Test against South Africa, I suffered a similar fate with the Guyana national team on Monday in the Carib Beer Series. We were beaten by Barbados, by an innings and 57 runs at the Kensington Oval. Just as with the West Indies, we batted first and were dismissed cheaply and then toiled long and hard in the field. Our opponents piled up massive replies, in excess of 500 runs each.

As a result, we and the Windies had our backs against the wall and though – in either case – the teams batted better in the second innings, it was always going to be difficult to avoid defeat. In the same way that losing in Durban sealed the Windies’ fate in the Test series, our defeat has set us back severely in the quest for the regional four-day championship.

Having lost our first two games outright makes winning the title a daunting and possibly far-fetched prospect. Nonetheless, I’m determined that we will continue striving to give a good account of ourselves. You never know what can happen if we get a few positive results.

I want my young team to understand what first-class cricket is about and to focus on doing the basics correctly. A lot of our players don’t have much experience at this level and it showed in the bowling and batting so I can’t blame them for how they have performed. It’s a sharp learning curve and I just want to help them develop and improve.

On a personal note, I’m getting more and more into the groove with the bat and was happy to score some decent runs against Barbados. However, I should have gone on and made a century in the second innings, but unfortunately I was out for 82. My ankle is also becoming stronger, though there’s still some soreness after I bat.

I must congratulate Barbados for clinically executing their game plan against us. Ryan Hinds batted very well and newcomer Kemar Roach bowled impressively. Our imminent assignment versus Jamaica will be equally challenging but I hope we can leave Kingston with our first points. It would be a great boost for my players.

Before I close this diary, I want to wish the West Indies all the best in the upcoming ODI series. I know the guys lost the Tests 2-1 but they don’t have anything to be ashamed of. They fought well in the first two Tests and in the second innings of the third one at Kingsmead. We must now have the self-belief that, if we play at a consistently high level, we can match the top teams in international cricket. This is the kind of mindset that our players will require if we are to excel in the one-dayers, which I think we have a good chance of winning.