Marlon Samuels has been in excellent form for West Indies having scored a fifty and a century in his last two ODIs.
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I will continue to work harder - Marlon Samuels
West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels asserted that he will continue to work harder after scoring a splendid hundred in a losing cause against Sri Lanka in the third One-Day International in Pallekele.
In a match interrupted with plenty of rain, West Indies once again found themselves wanting as they lost too many wickets in a heap with Samuels waging a lone fight.
Samuels’ 95 ball stay at the crease saw him stay unbeaten on 110 runs while he kept losing partners at the other end.
Admitting that the hundred means a lot to him, Samuels revealed that his intention was to build partnerships and post a total for the bowlers to defend.
“It means a lot.
“The situation was that I needed to bat through.
“I wanted to build a partnership with the guys, but it did not come off.
“My focus was to give them (the bowlers) a target to bowl at.
“When I get a start, I get in the groove.
“I enjoy my batting and pick the right balls.
“Today it was flowing like in the rest of the games that I had scored runs.”
Nevertheless, Samuels is not rating his century in the third ODI very high as it did not come in a wining cause for his team.
“I wouldn’t put this one not even in the top ten because I got a (dropped) chance in this one.
“The rest of them I did not get a chance.
“I wouldn’t rate this higher because at the end of the day it was not a match winning innings.
“If I am making hundreds and the team loses, it does not matter much.
“I would like to make a fifty in a team win.”
Samuels had a poor Test series against Sri Lanka in October, having scored just 30 runs from the four innings.
Despite stating that he was on the receiving end of a few unfortunate umpiring decisions in the Tests, Samuels has vowed to work harder to continue his good form.
“I got out in the Test series with a couple of unfortunate decisions but nevertheless I continued to work hard on the tour, the mind was always right.
“I did not do anything different and I just continued to work hard. Now the form is back.
“I will continue working harder.”
In the Twenty20 International format of the game, Samuels has a good record – averaging 30.35 with the bat with eight fifties under his belt.
The 34-year-old is hoping that he can use his good form to take West Indies to a winning position in the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka.
“My international T20 career is a good one and it can improve.
“My role is to put runs on the board so that I can take the team to a winning position.”
The two-match T20I Series between Sri Lanka and West Indies will get underway on 9th November in Pallekele.
© Cricket World 2015
