NEWS
Follow UsWest Indies will take on the United Arab Emirates in a three-match ODI series starting on Sunday, June 4, at Sharjah as a part of their build-up for the ICC Qualifiers set to commence from June 18 in Zimbabwe.
Ahead of the series, Shai Hope shared insights on his new role of batting at No.4 and said, "It's a ticklish one, but I'm happy to bat wherever the team needs me to. Going forward, I think No.4 would give us a bit more stability."
"In the past, we've had some tough time in the middle overs, especially against spin. But in this series, you may see a bit of a change; the batting line-up may be a bit different to what we're accustomed to. I think No.4 is the position that I'll stay at for a period of time, and hopefully, that continues to work for West Indies," he said, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo.
The 29-year-old also believes that with the increasing nature of T20 cricket, players are more fearless in the fifty-over format, and the average runs scored in a game has increased drastically.
"I think the way how cricket is being played now, you got to pretty much keep up with the times and find ways to adapt and improve our game. I'm trying to be a bit more aggressive in strokeplay, and it's something I want to stem down to the team as well and want to focus on trying to find ways to score."
"I think in the past, we just tried to occupy the crease too much rather than executing our strengths because we're known for scoring and especially scoring boundaries," he added.
With the majority of senior players missing the three-match series after a gruelling two-month-long Indian Premier League, Hope backs the youngsters to come good and help the side carry the momentum into the Qualifiers in Zimbabwe.
"Want to continue development and try to get some progression from here in the UAE. Just trying to see the fellas improve in whatever way we can. I know it's going to be a long and hard journey, but I just want to see some progression and that 1% improvement every single day," he said.
The skipper also heaped praises on Brandon King for his contributions to the team and backed him as a future leader after he was named as the vice-captain of the side in ODIs.
"Firstly, I just love to see him bat - whether it's in the nets or whether it's in the middle. He's one of those guys who I can relate to as well as a batter and as a person."
"So, I'm just hoping he can continue in this stead. He's been improving a lot, especially in his mindset towards the game, towards batting, and towards scoring runs. I must commend him for that."
"His role is a lot more important now because he's now opening the batting for us, so he has his work cut out for him. I'm very sure he's capable of doing the job for us and hope he can continue in this way," he concluded.
