“Does not matter if we are getting centuries or not,” Shai Hope on WI batters’ conversion of fifties to hundreds

Harare [Zimbabwe], June 18 (ANI): West Indies skipper Shai Hope said he does not dwell on individual milestones after players like Johnson Charles, Nicholas Pooran and Roston Chase failed to convert their fifties into hundreds in their 39-run victory against the United States of America in the World Cup qualifier campaign opener on Sunday at the Takashinga Cricket Club.

Charles steadied the West Indian innings after they ended up losing two early wickets. He struck a crucial 66(80) from the bat but failed to capitalize on the momentum. His knock was enough to set up the tone of the game.

Chase and Pooran shared a similar story, they got off to the mark quickly but failed to hold onto their wickets till the end.

Hope made it clear that he does not stress about individual milestones. The only thing that matters is getting runs on the board.

“I do not stress on milestones much. It is about getting runs on the board, does not matter if we are getting centuries or not. Mistakes happen, we need to learn from them. Hopefully, we can correct them in the next game,” Hope said in the post-match presentation.

He also pointed out the areas where his team fell behind and needs to improve on in their upcoming matches.

“I think we need to be a bit more ruthless. Need to make sure that we bowl a lot more inconsistent areas and think more positively moving forward. We need to plan better and execute even better. We need to get off strike better and when the balls are there (to hit), we have to capitalise,” Hope added.

West Indies managed to put up a score of 297 in the first innings. USA started slowly yet steadily, but they soon started to struggle when West Indies bowlers increased the intensity of their attack. Gajanand Singh remained unbeaten with a ton however it was insufficient as they ended up falling short by 39 runs and posted a score of 258/7.

West Indies will return to action on Thursday against Nepal.