Middle order batsman Marlon Samuels said West Indies cricket has emerged from the doldrums and is on the rebound after years of disappointing performances. Samuels made his comment as the Caribbean side prepares to tackle India and Sri Lanka in the Celkon Mobile Cup tri-nation series.
‘The great thing about West Indies cricket right now is that we are competing and winning games, not like back then when we were losing games,’ said Samuels. 'And not just in the Caribbean but also outside it, the fans are coming back. So that is motivating us to win more games so that we can win back the fans’ hearts plus put West Indies cricket back on top,’ he added.
However the Jamaican strokemaker conceded that West Indies, currently ranked eighth in ODIs, need to improve in various aspects of the game. ‘It is a steep corner to turn but the good thing is that we are on the corner, we have not turned it as yet, so there are a lot of areas we need to improve. We need to have more match-winners and get balls in the (right) areas consistently. As a unit we are getting stronger and better and the strength in the group will, in the long-run, see us winning games non-stop and beat the best teams in the world,’ he said.
Samuels is backing West Indies to do well against India in the tri-series despite their early exit from Champions Trophy. ‘India are a very good team with some big names and some young players coming through in good form. But I am still backing the unit that I have a lot of beli ef in,’ the Jamaican cricketer concluded.