DESPITE a game-changing 2-15 from Sunil Narine, the spinner is still maintaining that the Windies’ 21-run victory over England in Durham was a team effort.
“We enjoyed it, it was a total team effort in tough conditions,” said Narine.
The Windies, sent into bat on a cold night in Durham, got off to a fantastic start through openers, Chris Gayle (40) and Evin Lewis (51), however, the side crumbled on the pressure of Liam Plunkett, 3-27, and Adil Rashid, 3-25, to end on 176-9.
The total, though competitive, was clearly 20-30 runs short of where the Windies could have been had they built on the platform set by Gayle and Lewis.
In response, the beaten finalists at the last T20 World Cup, captulated to the team that made them bridesmaids in that famous final, largely due to Narine’s suffocating spell.
The Windies had trouble with a wet ball and cold conditions to bowl under, but produced masterful slow bowling after Alex Hales had taken to pace on the ball early to score 43 from 39 deliveries, inclusive of eight fours and a six over square leg.
“Any cricket that you win, no matter the conditions, I think you enjoy it,” Narine said of the conditions, he admitted were close to the coldest he had ever played in.
“We are from warm islands, so coming here in the cold and when it was drizzling and the ball was wet, I think was a magnificent effort by the West Indies,” he said.
Narine praised the team for its professionalism under the circumstances, saying that is what international cricketers do.
“It is difficult but at the end of the day you are an international cricketer, you have to cope with it,” Narine said.
As for the future of Windies cricket, Narine said the excitement of the way the region plays the game, will come through in the end.
You mightn’t cope with it every single game but if the day is gonna go well for you, you have to give almighty credit for just being able to go out there and perform.
“I think West Indians play exciting cricket so no matter what format it is, we’re going to play exciting cricket. It hasn’t been coming off, but lately it’s been doing good so hopefully we can continue it.”
