West Indies Captain Darren Sammy says he deserves his place in the current side based on the strength of his bowling and is eying a world top spot for the regional team in four years time.
The all-rounder’s place in the 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,” he told ESPN Cricinfo.
The 27-year-old fast 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, 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 the Windies to a 40-run victory. Overall, he has taken 40 wickets in 16 Tests at an average of 29 runs.
Sammy said, however, the West Indies team is heading in the right direction and one of the aims was to spearhead the side to the top five in the world by 2015.
West Indies team is currently seventh in the world in the International Cricket Council Test rankings and is now only two rating points behind sixth place Pakistan.
