“I would work on my game every day, bat for hours, leave alone a lot of balls, continue to play straight and keep my shape”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

After scoring an entertaining 63 against New Zealand on the third day of the second Test in Trinidad, West Indies debutant Jermaine Blackwood has credited the time he spent at the High Performance Centre for helping him get to where he is today.

Blackwood revealed that he used to spend “hours” batting in the nets as it helped him get prepared for the hardships of Test cricket.

“The difference is that I started to bat more,” he said. “I was batting fewer balls and getting out in the first half hour. I started going to the nets, started to leave alone a lot of balls and bat for hours. My natural game is to score fast but I have to adapt to these conditions, this is Test cricket.

“The High Performance Centre has helped a lot of guys. Every day I had to work on my game and every day I had to train. The coaches there are brilliant. I would work on my game every day, bat for hours, leave alone a lot of balls, continue to play straight and keep my shape. It really helped me a lot.”

Speaking about his impressive innings, Blackwood said: “I thought right through that I’d play each ball on merit and when a ball is there to be hit, I hit it and I try to stay positive and try to get some singles. It’s always how I bat. It’s not about coming in with a 100-lead or a 200-lead. It doesn’t make a difference. I still have to go out there and get the job done. You put in your hard work, play each one on its merit and bat for as long as possible.”

Blackwood also noted that the pitch was slowing down and would become very spin-friendly over the last two days.

“The pitch is a bit on the slower side,” he said. “There’s something in it for the spinners. If the pace bowlers bowl in the right areas, they can get a good result off the pitch, but it’s a bit slow.”