'We Have To Exercise Our Patience' - Sammy

'We Have To Exercise Our Patience' - Sammy

Marlon Samuels and Darren Bravo piled on the runs - 198 together - on day two in Khulna

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West Indies captain Darren Sammy is perfectly content with the speed in which his side is progressing after day two of the second and final Test against Bangladesh in Khulna.

After dismissing their hosts for 387 on a slow pitch, the West Indies made steady progress to 241 for two at stumps thanks to innings of 85 from Darren Bravo and 109 from Marlon Samuels.

Going into the day's play, history beckoned for the home side with number 10 Abul Hasan unbeaten 100 but the West Indies quickly denied him and Mahmudullah a world record for the ninth wicket in Tests.

"We knew that we only needed two wickets to start things off and it was good that we got them in the first half-hour," Sammy said.

"The pitch is getting a little slow and turning even slower. It looks a little dry after the day’s play and I don’t think there is any hurry for us with three days remaining in the Test. It is a Test match and we have to exercise our patience."

Key to the West Indies' position was Samuels' fifth Test century. The Jamaican is enjoying quite a year, including Test centuries against New Zealand, England and now Bangladesh as well as being one of the leading lights during the victorious ICC World Twenty20 campaign.

"Marlon did not have a significant score in the previous Test, and I know before he arrived, he said he wanted to score three international hundreds," Sammy revealed. "The way he went about his innings, this is what we are getting used to from Marlon.

"He has scored over 700 runs for us this year and he has been batting well for us in all formats of the game. Over the last few years, we have asked our batsmen to take responsibility and it is good to see more players doing it. Hopefully, we can continue and get a big total again."

Darren Bravo played an equally important innings of 85 in 197 balls, showing excellent discilpine, patience and concentration to help Samuels add 198 for the third wicket.

"Bravo had a good knock in the second innings of the previous Test and he looks really good," Sammy added.

"We normally score quickly, but he and Samuels have played really well, and have assessed the state of the pitch to judge the tempo at which they can score.

"Friday is a new day, but we will be looking for them to start well and give us a solid foundation early on with a player like Shiv still to come."

Having stated before the game that Sammy is pushing his side to win every game on the tour, his plan to win this one is a tried and tested method.

"The way we bat on Friday will determine how the Test unfolds," he said. "If we bat to our full potential, we can score a total of over 500 or 600, and work hard to get 10 wickets in their second innings."

The West Indies lead the series 1-0 after a 77-run win in the opening Test in Mirpur.

© Cricket World 2012