SERIES ON THE LINE
Sammy hails Hope ahead of 150th ODI milestone
West Indies head coach Daren Sammy is hoping captain Shai Hope’s 150th One-Day International appearance can inspire the hosts to a series-levelling win against Sri Lanka when the teams meet in today’s second ODI at Sabina Park, in a day/night encounter bowling off from 2.30 p.m. local time (3.30 p.m. T&T time).Down 1-0 in the three-match series, the Windies must win to keep the series alive. And Sammy believes there would be no more fitting way to celebrate the milestone of one of the region’s most consistent batters. “He’s been leading the batting for us over the last three, four years. I see him as one of our greatest ODI batsmen,” Sammy said yesterday.
West Indies will enter today’s match looking to rebound from a 41-run defeat in Wednesday’s opener after failing to chase down Sri Lanka’s challenging 303 for seven total. The home team made a bright start to the contest and Sammy said there were enough positives to suggest a reversal is possible. “Most definitely a new day, a new opportunity,” said Sammy. “I still believe in the preparation heading into the game. As the coaching staff, we were really happy with what we saw coming out of the camp.”
The Windies coach was also pleased to see fast bowler Alzarri Joseph return to international action after a ten-month absence, although he admitted the speedster may need time to regain full rhythm. “It was good to see Alzarri Joseph back after a long time in our colours,” Sammy said. “It’s going to take a little bit of time.” Sammy revealed that team management is considering one or two changes for today’s contest and will make a final decision after another inspection of the pitch. The surface used in the first ODI offered assistance to the spinners, but Sammy expects conditions to be more batting-friendly. “I think it will be a better surface,” he opined.