West Indies captain Darren Sammy says he deserves his place in the current side based on the strength of his bowling, and is eyeing a world top-five spot for his side in four years’ time.
The all-rounder’s place in the regional squad has repeatedly come under scrutiny since he took up the post as skipper last November, but he held his own with the ball in the recent series against Pakistan and India.
“I think I have justified my selection as a bowler in the team. My batting has obviously not been up to scratch. It’s something I have to work on,” ESPN Cricinfo quoted the 27-year-old as saying.
“If I look at my Test record it is okay. In every team somebody will always be the fall guy. So far it’s always been me. It’s tough luck on Kemar (Roach) [who was left out for the India Tests].
“At the end of the day the selectors pick the team. What’s good is that we have competition for spots in the bowling department.”
The right-arm medium pacer finished with seven wickets in the three-Test series against India, including a best haul of four for 52 in the opening Test at Sabina Park in Jamaica.
In the two-Test series against Pakistan, Sammy claimed 10 wickets, including a five-wicket haul in the opening match in Guyana that helped bowled the Windies to a 40-run victory.
