ROSEAU – West Indies are favourites to complete a series win over Zimbabwe when the second of two Tests matches begins at Windsor Park today.
Darren Sammy’s men are hoping to repeat the performance which earned them a nine-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the first Test at Kensington Oval last week.
Sammy’s team will be chasing a sixth consecutive Test victory. The winning run dates to August last year when they beat New Zealand in Antigua and Jamaica. Last November they beat Bangladesh in Dhaka and Khulna.
“The plan is to win this match and go 2-0. We stand a very good chance of winning six matches in a row and building on the winning streak we have started in Test cricket.
“We have had a lot of great support over the years, but we have not won here in Dominica and I know the people here will want us to deliver a victory,” the Windies captain said.
“We will have more or less the same type of game plan we had for the last five Test matches – where we play five specialist batsmen and the four specialist bowlers – and we are looking to continue in that way.
“Last Test match we played the three fast bowlers with Shillingford bowling really well to win the match for us, but I think it was a very good job by everyone when it was required.”
West Indies won the One-Day Internationals 3-0 at the Grenada National Stadium, took the T20s 2-0 at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground and lead the two-match Test series 1-0.
Hundreds are expected to flock to Windsor Park especially to see local boy Shane Shillingford in international action for the first time since his recall to the regional side.
Shillingford, a star performer for West Indies with a nine-wicket haul in the first Test, is playing at the same venue where he snatched a ten-wicket haul against Australia a year ago.
“The last time we played here against Australia it was a very good and close game and Shillingford bowled really well to get 10 wickets in the match,” Sammy said.
“This looks like a similar pitch and we believe he will do very well again in front of his family and his home supporters. He always plays with a smile on his face, but he is a fierce competitor and he keeps improving with every opportunity he gets.”
Shillingford has said he expected the surface to “bounce a little bit” on a pitch where spinners claimed 26 of the 40 wickets Australia and West Indies lost in last year’s Test. (CMC/HG)
