Blackwood promises improvement

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

Jermaine Blackwood says the region can expect a new and improved player when he eventually returns to international cricket.

Known primarily as a dasher for his aggressive, quick-fire approach to batting, the Jamaican right-hander said he plans to curb that natural attacking instinct so he can play longer innings for the Windies in the future.

“I know that I can bat for long, but sometimes, I just get ahead of myself and try to play a lot of shots, but, as you can see, I’ve kind of curbed my game a little bit more in terms of shot selection,” Blackwood said.

“But from the time I was young, I used to bat a lot of balls, so I have to just go back to those roots. Right now, currently, I think I’m on track right now because I’m batting a lot of balls [again], and that is really a plus for me right now.”

FRUSTRATING FEATURE

The 28-year-old was axed from the Test side in 2017 after managing just 15 runs in three innings, but it was more the manner of his dismissals that became a frustrating feature of his batting.

Memorably, in the Lord’s third Test on the tour of 2017, two rash shots early in his innings caused his downfall for single-digit scores as the Windies crashed to a nine-wicket defeat inside three days in the decisive match of the series.

Blackwood, however, signalled a turnaround in form and attitude during the just-concluded first-class season, finishing as the leading runscorer, with 768 runs at an average of 51.

More important, his career-best 248 against Leeward Islands Hurricanes highlighted his ability to spend long periods at the crease, and he said he hoped to incorporate this approach as a new facet of his game.

“I’m fit mentally. I’m in a good place. I’ve worked very hard – once you bat for eight hours, you know you have to be fit,” he said.

“I guess, right now, the place that I am, in terms of my cricket, I think I am in a very good place. That innings (248) showed a lot of character … .”

Blackwood praised fellow Jamaican and Windies star Andre Russell for helping in his transformation.

“Me and Andre come from a long way – from the time I was small. From when Andre started playing for Jamaica, we were friends, and … he’s been a big influence in my life,” Blackwood said.

“Like in terms of how I’m playing my cricket now, he’s a big influence, and I actually put in a lot of work at his house.”