I still have an ODI role – Gabriel

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

West Indies fast bowler Shannon Gabriel still believes he has much to offer to one-day international (ODI) cricket, despite having not played in the limited-overs format for the regional outfit in almost two years.

The 30-year-old last featured in a 50-over match for the Windies in 2017 during the Windies’ tour of New Zealand.

However, with the Tri-Nations Series in Ireland and the ICC World Cup looming, Gabriel said his ­wicket-taking ability was still very much needed.

“I think I still have a part to play in one-day cricket for the West Indies, and I just want to keep improving every step. It’s been a while, over a year, since I’ve played one-day cricket, so I just want to relish the opportunity once given the chance,” Gabriel said during the Windies’ camp at 3Ws Oval, UWI Cave Hill Campus.

“Moving on from Test cricket, I don’t think my role has changed. They see me as someone who will go out there and look to take wickets, and I think my role is very clear and I always enjoy the ­challenge. I just want to go out there and ­perform to the best of my ability, take each game one game at a time.”

Gabriel said the time spent at the camp was extremely crucial as the regional team’s last competitive series was against England more than a month ago.

He said he had used the time to work on his depth bowling and to improve his yorkers and slower deliveries.

“Camp has been going good. The fellas have been working really hard preparing themselves for the ODI series in Ireland. I think it is a very important part leading up to what we have coming up in the next few months. Obviously, the last series against England was over a month ago, so the guys weren’t playing any form of competitive cricket, so this is a good opportunity for the guys to sharpen up on their skills,” Gabriel said.