Dwayne Smith on inconsistencies, focus
interview by MICHELLE McDONALD
Dwayne Smith has been a key component of the West Indies' One Day outfit. Lightening fast in the outfield, his medium fast bowling is also an important part of the attack. As a batsman, he can be explosive.
A few days after helping the West Indies to a win over Pakistan in the opening World Cup match, Dwayne Smith spoke to CaribbeanCricket.com about his World Cup experience so far, what he's working on, and who his mentors have been.
Tell us what it feels like to be playing in your first World Cup, starting in Jamaica with a win.
It feels great along with the win and it really made me feel a lot more confident in myself. Obviously the crowd, and you're at home so you wont feel that much nerves.
Oh you weren't nervous at all?
No not really. Only a little bit when I first went out to bat but that's the norm. It always happens.
So you always feel nervous when you go out to bat?
Yes, every time I go out to bat you just get a little bit of nerves.
How do you calm yourself down to relax and open up?
Just to stay focused on the job that you have to do and when it does come off, everything works out.
Sometimes it has worked out for you in the past. Can you explain the inconsistency?
It just comes down to shot selection and that is what I've been working on in the nets so it's just to get those things correct and things will work for me.
How do you work on shot selection to make sure that you play the right shot at the right time?
You just have to be focussed and play each ball on its merit.
And you've have problems doing that in the past and you're trying to correct that now.
Not that I'm trying...I'm correcting it.
Oh you are...so Tuesday was the first. So that means Monday [against Zimbabwe] we can look forward to that?
As I say I'm correcting it so it's not all corrected as yet but hopefully I will keep going, if given the chance to bat again to do something better than what I did last Tuesday.
Brian Lara said after that match that they were considering batting you at Number 3 if the openers had got off to a good start. Would you rather bat higher so it gives you a chance to build an innings, rather than having to come in and do a quick fire thing?
It doesn't really matter to me. Whatever the team asks of me I am quite capable of doing and I want to do it to the best of my ability so it doesn't matter where I bat.
What approach do you take in terms of mentally preparing yourself before a game?
Just normal. Just talk with friends, team mates, share a little joke and things like that. Nothing really.
You are not one of those who have to sit in a corner and meditate?
No no no [laughs]. I'd do that the night before, but nothing really.
What elements have you been working on apart from shot selection, to do with your batting or bowling?
My bowling has come along a lot. I'm still working on it. With the bat, it's just to be as patient as I can and keep playing as straight as possible until I get myself in, then I can open up and play my shots.
Are you normally an impatient person off the field?
No, I wouldn't say that.
You mentioned earlier that the win on Tuesday has picked up your confidence. Was your confidence really low from the scores you had had previous to that?
No, I wouldn't say that. I am always positive. It would be more disappointment than the confidence level being low.
Aren't the two things connected? You're disappointed and therefore it drops your confidence?
I wouldn't say that. I wouldn't say that at all. I wouldn't say that.
I have your innings by innings stats here. Before the 32, there was a duck against India, 25, 1, 1, 23, 0, 0, 8, 0...that couldn't have put you in a right frame of mind?
I wouldn't say that. As I say, I wouldn't say that. I am always confident. It doesn't matter to me. Right now the 32 is gone so I can't look back on that. All those scores are gone and I can't look back on them. It's just to keep my confidence up as I say, and be positive in what I'm doing.
What are you looking for in the rest of the tournament?
To be as consistent as possible and to be that consistent that the West Indies can go on to win the World Cup.
Does the team believe?
Of course we do believe! We are at home and we have the support, so why not?
Have you always done a lot of bowling?
Yes I always do a lot of bowling. That's one part I never stopped doing because if you fail with the bat, you always have a chance to do something in the field, to do something good, and to also bowl well.
Last year during the India home series, coach Bennett King said "he's a one in a lifetime athlete, that boy!" about your fielding. Where do you think you get that ability from?
[Laughs] I don't know….probably a gift from God. I've always been into athletics so it's never really a problem with me and I say it's probably a gift.
Did you run track in school?
Well yeah, but I wasn't successful in it. I used to do 100 and 200, the shorter sprints.
A World Cup brochure lists you as the Godson as Sir Everton Weekes...
I don't know about that but it's just that I have a lot of conversations with him whenever I get the chance to. It has helped me a lot, and also Seymour Nurse gave me a few tips so I'm working on both of those things they've been telling me. It's working for me and I'm going to keep trying it until I keep succeeding or be consistent.
Who has been the main mentor for you in your cricket career so far?
There are a lot. I would go with Sir Viv Richards and Collis King. They are the main mentors to me. Whenever he gets the chance, Sir Viv, he would talk to me and Collis King always sends a message or whenever he sees me, he would tell me something.
He played a big part in one of the West Indies World Cup finals. Did you ever talk about that?
Yes we did. We also talk about the games that he didn't really perform in. We probably talk about every game that he played in.
Any specific targets that you've set yourself personally for the World Cup?
My target is just to be consistent as possible and help the West Indies win the World Cup.
What do you think has caused the inconsistency in the team, because you know, the game before against India, the team scored 85 then you come back with a good win. What causes that inconsistency?
I guess it's a mixture of a bad day for us and a bit unlucky shot selection. Nothing really to worry about, but we picked ourselves back up against Pakistan and we are quite confident.
What explanation does the team give to Bennett when you perform that badly?
You've got to look back at what you did and try to correct it. It's not so much as explaining what you did so badly; it's how you're going to correct it.
What did you think about the game between Pakistan and Ireland, and did it worry the West Indies?
Ireland bowled well. You can't be over confident with no one; you can't underestimate anybody either. If they couldn't play that good, they wouldn't be there so it's just to be consistent with what we're doing and I think we'll beat everybody!