Sammy prays Windies show more fight

Former Test captain Darren Sammy has said the West Indies cricket was facing "difficult times" following the heavy defeat to Australia in the opening Test last week, but he is hoping the embattled unit can be at least competitive in the remaining games.

The West Indies suffered a humiliating innings and 212-run loss inside three days in the opening Test at the Bellerive Oval ground here last week, their worst defeat to Australia in 84 years, reports CMC.

Sammy, who led the Windies in 30 of his 38 Tests, said his full support was behind the side and he was backing them to give a better showing in the upcoming contests in Melbourne and Sydney. Sammy is currently in the city to play for Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League T20 tournament.

"I remember the last time we were in Australia we lost quite badly in Brisbane, but then we pulled ourselves together in Adelaide and Perth, where we could have actually won the Test series," Sammy said here on Wednesday.

"Hopefully it is that case, and even if we don't win the next two Test matches, but we must compete much better than we did in the first."

He added: "I am fully committed to one dayers and T20 Internationals for West Indies - that is still my passion - but I really wish that things could turn around here in Australia."

Sammy was dumped as the Test captain in May last year and replaced by Denesh Ramdin, who was also sacked after 15 months in charge and replaced by Jason Holder last September.

The current Windies Twenty20 captain, Sammy has since quit the game's longer format to concentrate on limited-overs cricket.

He said the opening Test had been a chastening experience for the team, but said they needed to take the positives and build on them for the future.

"I watched the first Test and it is difficult times; we won't hide from it, it is difficult times in West Indies cricket right now," Sammy said.

"We have a young captain in Jason Holder. When he took the job we told him it was going to be a tough job; I went through it when I was captain.

"It will take time for us to get back to where we were in Test cricket, but we have some good youngsters coming through and I guess with experience and the right guidance, the (Darren) Bravo, the (Kraigg) Brathwaite, even the Jason Holder's, they could learn quickly.

"Even though we don't win Test matches, we fight to the end. That is basically what the fans at home are asking for," he added.

The 31-year-old Sammy said it was also important for the West Indies to remember their responsibility to Caribbean fans and use that support as motivation.

"They want to see that never-say-die attitude," the all-rounder pointed out.

"At the end of the day you are not only playing for yourself, but you are playing for the six or seven million people from the Caribbean that are diehard cricket lovers."