The?last time?Tino Best went to England as part of a West Indies cricket team, he created his own bit of history.
This time around he’ll be looking to help the regional side do the same.
Best will soon be returning to the country where he scored a record-breaking 95 at Edgbaston last June, the highest ever Test score by a No.11 batsman.
Now, as a member of the West Indies team which will be looking to capture the ICC Champions Trophy for the second time, he has high hopes of helping the team to a second successive international trophy.
The muscular 31-year-old fast bowler, who is part of a West Indies training camp at the Sagicor High Performance Centre, told the media after yesterday’s session that he was looking forward to returning to England.
“Last summer was amazing having been able to come back into the Test setup and do so well,” a beaming Best said. “Going back to England definitely feels good and I am really looking forward to doing well.”
He said that having won the ICC World Twenty20, he expected the West Indies to do well in the 50-over competition.
However, he insisted that neither he nor his teammates were getting too caught up in the talk about which team was favoured to emerge victorious.
“To be honest, I think our chances are as good as anyone else’s,”?Best said.
“We have some amazing talent and everyone can see daily on television with the guys performing well in the IPL [Indian Premier League], so our chances are good.
“You know people can say a lot of things and we have heard the talk of us being favourites but as a unit we are not really getting too carried away with that. Once we play as a collective unit like we did in Sri Lanka, we will do well.”
Best has been a regular in the regional side for the past year, although he missed the title-winning trip to Sri Lanka.
He revealed that it felt good having been recalled to the team and he was looking forward to continuing his recent string of good performances.
“I’ve been playing some decent One-Day cricket. I had a very decent stint in Australia and then I came home against Zimbabwe in the One-Days and I did reasonably well, so I’m very happy and very excited to be part of the Champions Trophy squad.
“All the guys respect me and they know what I bring to the table. It’s all about what you are bringing to the team to make it successful and with my pace and exuberance and my readiness to take the lead that is always acceptable by the guys.”
Best has played 20 ODIs for the West?Indies team and taken 26 wickets. He has two four-wicket hauls.
