West Indies' Brandon King eyes home Test glory in Sabina

TOP order batsman Brandon King relishes the opportunity to represent West Indies in front his home crowd at Sabina Park for the very first time in Test cricket, and is hoping to mark the occasion by helping the maroon to victory over the Aussies in the final fixture of a three-match series, from July 12.

West Indies are intent on finishing the series on a high, despite losing the first two Tests in Barbados and Grenada respectively. The final match will also be the first-ever day-night, pink-ball Test at Sabina Park.

King scored 26 runs and was dismissed for a first-ball duck in both innings of the first Test. He responded with an improved 75 and 14 runs in each innings of the second Test.

King said he’s aiming to carry the same measured approach from his last outing into what he considers, a historic and challenging encounter in front of his home fans.

“It’s a great feeling to play at home,” King said in an interview with Cricket West Indies (CWI). “I’ve played a few white-ball games here before and it felt incredible. This being the first day-night Test at Sabina, it’s going to be great. I just want to have consistency of approach, the same formula I used last game, and come in this one and do the same.”

The Jamaican right-hander will be playing in just his third Test match and is gearing up for his first experience with the pink ball — against an Australian side with more experience than any other team in day-night conditions.

“It’s a challenge, but an exciting one. You want to play against the best and see where you stand. They’ve played the most pink-ball Tests, so they’re very experienced, but we’re looking forward to it,” he added.

With Australia already leading the series 2-0, the West Indies will need a complete performance if they are to notch a morale-boosting victory at Sabina.

According to King, the key lies in maintaining intensity and focus over five days, and not just flashes of brilliance.

Across the last two Tests, West Indies’ bowling attack managed to take all 40 Australian wickets over the first two matches but the batsman lacked resilience to chase gettable victory targets of 301 and 277 runs respectively.

King called for consistency in the final contest.

“We’ve been competing with them up to a certain point, and then we fall away a little bit. But we’re playing the number one team in the world. For us to win, we need consistency in all aspects of the game, and right through to the end. We’re looking to improve on those one-percenters.”

“The bowlers have been fantastic, To get 20 wickets in both games is incredible. They’ve come with intensity, and it’s really good for us as a batting unit to see their hard work paying off. Now, we need to support that with runs.”

As for the conditions at Sabina Park, King expects a more balanced contest between bat and ball — a departure from the bowler-friendly surfaces seen in Grenada and Barbados.

“Sabina is usually a decent wicket, something for both bowlers and batters. You want a competitive surface — not too skewed either way. Hopefully, it’ll be a good game.”

The final Test bowls off on from July 12-16 from 2.30 pm (TT time). And from July 20-28, the Windies take on the Aussies in a five-match T20 series with the first two bowling off in Kingston, Jamaica and the next three in Basseterre, St Kitts.