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Marlon Samuels
is still waiting for his copy of the Wisden Almanack. One of the five
Cricketers of the Year, Samuels was shortlisted for the honour after his
commanding performance during the three-Test series last May in England
where he was the top run scorer in The Wisden Trophy with one century and three fifties.
It was the one of the first times Samuels had handled the responsibility
of being a senior batsman. It carried much more meaning for Samuels
personally because finally he made the headlines for cricketing reasons,
his two-year ICC ban forgotten. Even though West Indies lost the series
2-0, Samuels dominated the formidable England bowling attack with a
combination of calmness and anger. Little wonder then he is anxious to
get hold of the hallowed yellow brick.
Twelve months down the line Samuels is back in England, his reputation
enhanced after his heroics in the final of the World Twenty20, which
formed the backbone for West Indies' first world title in nearly two
decades. Yet despite his match-winner status, Samuels curiously remains
unconvincing in ODIs. Somehow, despite being one of the few Caribbean
batsmen to possess the right combination of flair, patience and bravado,
Samuels has betrayed his talent.
On the handful of occasions he has succeeded, it has coincided with West Indies victories: Samuels averages 49.54
in matches West Indies have won with all his four centuries coming in
team victories. In 2012, he scored 482 runs at 32.12 from 16 ODI
innings, including two centuries; his overall career average is 30.84.
But in the Champions Trophy, Samuels has failed
- he has scored only 71 runs from eight innings. His performance in
England in ODIs is also mediocre - an aggregate of 159 runs from six
innings.
In West Indies' thrilling low-scoring victory against Pakistan, Samuels
made his presence felt with a valuable third-wicket partnership with
Chris Gayle, scoring an important 30. As crucial as his innings was,
Samuels failed to bolt the door shut on Pakistan and exposed the middle
and lower order to some anxious moments. In terms of matches, Samuels
(143 ODIs) is the third-most experienced player in the team behind Gayle
and Ramnaresh Sarwan. Despite his chequered career, Samuels has failed
to perform the role of the senior statesman much more authoritatively.
But after his comeback from the ban, Samuels has admitted he now enters
every ground purposefully. He even confessed that he channels the
in-built anger, for being denied to play international cricket for two
years, in a positive fashion now. It is like he wants to prove a point.
"I am determined to score a bit quicker, rotate the strike as much as
possible," Samuels said. "In Test cricket you spend a lot of time out
there and wait for the bad balls. It is not so much of a difference
batting between both formats." According to Samuels, the conditions in
England have posed the biggest hurdle for him. "The ball moves around.
The hardest part is to get a start in England. Once you get a start,
things get easy."
| As he sat on the picket fencing at The Oval it was the same still nature you observe in Samuels' stance. He can exude confidence and provide reassurance even in the deepest misery. | |||
Samuels agrees that he is well suited to perform the role of anchor
better than anyone else in the team considering he has done the same in
the past. "I'm batting at four so I've been carrying a lot of load for
the team," he said. "I'll definitely continue to play that role and take
a lot of responsibility. I have to bat through the innings. Depending
on the situation I have to speed it up or slow it down. A lot of it is a
thinking process. At the moment mine is the anchor role so I have to
bat through, but I can make up for it at the end because there are still
a lot of shots that I can play at the end."
It is just not experience he is relying on. Technically he has been
trying to work hard on encountering the seaming conditions prevalent in
England. Like he had done before the England tour last year, Samuels
revealed that he had worked extensively playing against the taped ball.
"It is a rubber ball with tape on one side," Samuels said. "It swings a
lot. I practise with it a lot especially before I come to England. It
works well for me. You can't just come here and bat. Last year was a big
moment for me where I had to come here and score some runs. I make
plans and work towards it."
Observed from a distance Samuels can be come across as isolated from the
pack. At The Oval, on a cold Sunday morning, Samuels sat on the picket
fence below the dressing room for about half an hour padded up, gloves
in hand without doing anything except exchanging banter with a team
official. His non-branded bat rested like an oar by his side even as
other batsmen including Gayle enjoyed blasting the ball out of the
ground in the distance. Even as Darren Bravo, taking throw downs from
Ravi Rampaul nearby, hit the ball towards him, Samuels remained unmoved,
forcing Rampaul to retrieve the ball.
It is hard to comprehend his exact thoughts but it is the same still
nature you observe in Samuels' stance. He can exude confidence and
provide reassurance even in the deepest misery. Take the World T20
final, when West Indies were 32 for 2 after ten overs. Samuels
single-handedly swung the momentum with a ferocious half-century as West
Indies picked off 105 runs in the final ten overs. It was an assault
which silenced Sri Lanka.
Samuels has reiterated at every opportunity that the biggest lesson he
had learned from the ban was to be more responsible. And that will
always stand him in good stead. "To be honest, for the last two years,
being out and coming back and playing have created a lot of
responsibility around me outside of cricket," he said. "So going out
there and playing the role that I'm playing right now I find it much
easier because off the field I have greater responsibility."
That includes looking after his kids and taking care of his numerous
dogs. "They can't feed themselves. I'm Taking care of my entire family. I
can't afford to fail because I'm the breadwinner. For me to come out
here and play the anchor role for the team, the entire Caribbean - I
really enjoy it."
Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo
Feeds: Nagraj Gollapudi
© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
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