West Indies batsman Jermaine Blackwood: Shot selection key in final Test against Pakistan

WEST Indies vice-captain Jermaine Blackwood said the Windies batsmen must have better shot selection in the second and final Test match against Pakistan in the Betway series.

West Indies prevailed with a nerve-racking one-wicket victory in the first Test match at Sabina Park in Jamaica, on Sunday.

Chasing 168 for victory on the fourth day, Kemar Roach ended unbeaten on 30 to help steer West Indies to safety. The last-wicket partnership between Roach and Jayden Seales was 17.

Blackwood helped set up the win as earlier in the innings he cracked 55 off 78 deliveries.

On Wednesday, speaking to journalists on Zoom, Blackwood said, “Once we go out there and play some hard cricket I don’t see why we can’t beat Pakistan, and I think in the last game you saw some hints of the batsmen going there showing some application. Once we can go out there and bat for longer periods, I don’t see why we can’t win the series, because the bowlers always doing an awesome job for us.”

Discussing shot selection, Blackwood said, “I think once we can get down to ball selection and select the right balls – which one to score and which one to leave or defend – I think that is going to be much better for us.”

Blackwood is an aggressive batsman by nature, but knows he must also be smart in his approach.

“I am an aggressive batsman. I am always going to play aggressively, but (I need to) just curb it a little bit. Once I can curb it a little bit, I don’t think my team will kill me for that, because as you saw on the fourth day on that pitch, if I did not go out there and get that aggressive, we will be talking something different today for sure.”

Blackwood said he is always willing to give his teammates advice about the wicket at Sabina Park, as a Jamaican who has played a lot of cricket at the venue.

“I share my thoughts and my views on the wicket and how it plays because myself and Nkrumah Bonner are the two home boys…we played a lot of cricket here. But you have guys here who play a lot of games in Jamaica as well.”

Blackwood said players like Jason Holder and Roston Chase enjoy playing cricket in Jamaica.

The second Test match bowls off on Friday at Sabina Park at 11 am (TT time).