Vilified on an almost daily basis by followers of West Indies cricket who question the value of his position in the team, Darren Sammy remains committed to doing the best job possible whenever the opportunity arises.
He did it with aplomb yet again yesterday both with the ball and as leader.
Telling spells with the ball and shrewd captaincy helped West Indies restrict Australia to a scoring rate of less than three runs per over and maintain a strong position against the former World Champions.
“I think I was just doing my job. From the time I have been picked in the Test squad, my job is to bowl tight. If you look at the make-up of the team I am the most economical bowler, so I was just doing that,” he said.
“They got off to a flyer. We looked at our run rate and it was under three so the main job was to do that and to pick up wickets in between. We managed to do that, and it was a good day for us in the field.”
And the West Indies captain is thrilled at the strong position his team currently hold, firmly believing they are in with a good chance of winning the Test.
It was the early wickets Sammy took that set the stage for a productive day for the home side.
Written off by observers who struggle to appreciate anything other than raw pace, he remains full of confidence in his own ability and expresses a clear understanding of his role in the team.
“I’ve gotta really work hard to get my wickets. I am not fast like Fidel (Edwards) and (Kemar) Roach, so I am more looking to contain first and hope the batsmen make the errors. I have been working with coach Gibson for the last two years and as you can see the West Indies bowling unit has improved under him and we are just looking to continue that,” Sammy said.
“I understand my job and my role in the team, and I just go out there and do it. You know everybody will have their opinions, but going forward I know I am a crucial member in this bowling unit.”
In some circles, Sammy is seen as the weak link in the attack but he continues to confound those critics with his wicket-taking prowess.
“I think the batsmen really kind of underestimate me. They normally say, ‘Ah, he is not so quick’, but what I rely on is accuracy – frustrate them, take the ball away from them and then a little closer, just in that little channel whether to play or leave and that’s what I did [yesterday],” he said.
“And I think that is what I was doing all my career, just putting the ball on one spot.
“You know before I started [for West Indies] I saw guys like Corey Collymore. That’s the job he was doing for us. I managed to play my first Test with him and . . . that’s what he has taught me.”
