Enterprising Jamaica and West Indies middle-order batsman Jermaine Blackwood has revealed that despite his less-than-spectacular form, he was always confident that he would have been selected in the regional squad for the opening Test against Pakistan at Sabina Park.
The 25-year-old, who has a solitary century in 22 Tests, averaged 30.33 in the Test series against Pakistan last November in the United Arab Emirates, with a highest score of 95 in the second innings of the second match. His other scores were 37 and 15 in the first Test, eight in the first innings of the second and 23 and four in the third.
“I was always confident of being selected,” he said. “If you look at it, although I have not been scoring a lot of hundreds, I have been getting runs for the West Indies.”
“I wasn’t necessarily in a bad touch for the (regional) four-dayers and I guess the selectors thought the same thing.
“I didn’t score a hundred, but if you look at it, I ended among the top batsmen and finished with most runs for Jamaica.”
578 RUNS
Blackwood made 578 runs in 10 matches during the regional first-class season. This included four half-centuries at an average of 32.11, and a topscore of 96.
Meanwhile, looking at his overall Test career, Blackwood believes it is heading in the right direction.
“I would say my career is going kind of OK, I just need to convert some of those half-centuries into centuries,” he said. “I plan to approach this series in my normal way, which is stay positive and play for the team.
“I love to play at home with the local crowd and support, and I am just looking forward to playing in this Test match given it is going to be the 50th Test at Sabina Park. I would really like to make some runs for the fans.”
In his last Test at Sabina Park last August, Blackwood scored 62 and 63 against India.
