Cricket: Clarke Vows to Keep Pressing for Wins

Graham Davis

Port of Spain, Trinidad. Australia captain Michael Clarke vowed to keep making ambitious declarations even if it meant risking seeing his plans come back to haunt him.

Clarke set the West Indies a 215-run target off 61 overs in the second test on Thursday, after declaring on 160 for eight early in the afternoon, only for torrential rain to wash away any chance of a result.

His decision to tempt the West Indies to force a result had paid dividends in the first test in Barbados, which his team won by three wickets, despite declaring his team’s first innings 43 runs behind.

Thursday was also set for an intriguing finish when West Indies reached 53 for two off 11 overs before rain returned to end the weather-battered contest.

“My goal my whole career has been to help the Australian team win as many games as possible, and I guess now that I am captain I have the opportunity to show that,” Clarke said. “At times with my declaration, when there is a chance for winning, you’ve got to have a go at it.

“There’s going to be times that it might backfire and we might lose every now and then. But I enjoy the brand of cricket that we’re playing at the moment.”

The draw meant that Australia retained its two-decade grip on the Frank Worrell Trophy with just the third and final test to play starting in Dominica on Monday.

In an effort to win on Thursday, West Indies captain Darren Sammy switched his batting order, moving Kieran Powell to open and placing himself at number three.

But Australian seamer Ben Hilfenhaus soon had the West Indies rocking, trapping Powell lbw for just four in his second over, which allowed Sammy to come to the crease.

Hilfenhaus had both openers back in the dressing room just two overs later when he produced a beautiful outswinger that took the edge of Adrian Barath’s bat and the catch was taken by Clarke at first slip.
That left West Indies struggling on 13 for two.

Sammy, though, still had his sights firmly set on an unlikely win and launched into an attack on Hilfenhaus, striking him for two boundaries and a six over long-off.

He reached 30 not out from 26 balls with his team still needing another 162 runs to win when the weather brought an early end to the contest.

“Sixty overs was enough. We thought we could get the runs. Our plan was to see how far we could get by tea and then reassess after that,” said Sammy, who believes his team is still capable of leveling the series.

Agence France-Presse