Hope: West Indies must 'tighten up' in decisive ODI

West Indies One-Day International captain Shai Hope wants his team to “tighten up” in the field and “start better” with the ball as they chase a series win over England at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday.

After a solid four-wicket victory by WI in the first ODI, England triumphed by six wickets in the second to tie the series, with all up for grabs in the final match, a day/night affair, from 1.30pm (TT time).

Hope was the star for West Indies in both matches as he scored a match-winning, unbeaten 109 in the first, and then top scored once more with 68, in the second.

There were also commendable performances coming from Romario Shepherd, Alick Athanaze and Sherfane Rutherford, but Hope wants an all-out attack on the final day to seal their first ODI series win over England since 2007.

The Bajan captain believes the Kensington surface plays a pivotal role, but they must adapt to any pitch condition on the day.

Speaking to media at the venue on Friday, Hope said he’s chasing a win and nothing less.

“The surface can be unpredictable at times at Kensington, but from what I can see, it looks like a decent surface and I think it should be a nice cricket wicket. It’s a toss decision.

“I don’t like the overhead conditions to affect the decision (to bat or bowl) too much but we still have to take it into consideration. Let’s hope the weather stays the same so we can have a good 100 overs tomorrow.

“Regardless of what we do first, we have to do it well. Even if the conditions are not favourable we still have to perform well and execute out there.

“Sometimes the dew factor plays a big factor in these games. I’m not sure what the dew factor would be like in Barbados, but in Antigua it certainly has a lot to do with the game.”

Looking back on the second ODI, Hope wants an improved performance.

“We can always tighten up in key areas. One for sure that I always preach in the dressing room is our fielding. We need to make sure we’re taking those chances, having that impact in the field, having a lot more (positive) body language, especially in the (inner) ring.

“But again, we got to start better with the ball, especially at the top, so we can get some early inroads. We’ve been struggling a little bit as a team to get those early wickets to put teams under pressure. So that’s going to be a certain highlight for us going forward,” he added.

Regarding his starting line-up, one journalist asked Hope if he thought Shepherd, who scored 48 runs from 28 balls in the first ODI and 19 from 16 in the second, should be bumped up the order.

He disagreed.

“We see his (Shepherd) importance at the back of the innings. Anyone that has a Romario Shepherd in their team can always depend on him in the back innings, so I think he’s better off finishing an innings for us than coming in too early and then pretty much losing that big hitter at the bottom for us.”

Hope also highlighted the works of Guyanese spinner Gudakesh Motie, who he believes is an “asset” for the team, and continues to develop as a multi-format player. Motie was West Indies’ top bowler in both ODIs, snaring 2/49 and 2/34 respectively.

On Motie’s progress, he said, “He’s a masterful spinner and one of those guys I can depend on in most situations. He can bowl in the powerplay, he can make up wickets in the middle and can also do a good job at the back end.

“He’s a very dependable bowler and has shown that he’s matured a lot over the years and as long as he continues doing what he’s doing, he’s going to be an asset for us going forward, in all three formats.”

After the ODI series, both nations gear up for a five-match T20 series which will be played in Barbados, Grenada and Trinidad.