Nurse looks to turn tide against Bangladesh

DUBLIN, Ireland (CMC):

Front-line spinner Ashley Nurse has said that yesterday’s defeat to Bangladesh had not dented the team’s confidence and that they were now fully focused on breaking their jinx against the Tigers in Friday’s final of the Tri-Nations Series.

West Indies went down by five wickets at The Village to follow up their eight-wicket loss to Bangladesh in their second game of the tournament last week.

The Caribbean side have now lost six of their last eight one-day meetings with the Asian side inside the last 12 months.

“Next game is the final, so it’s the most important game of the series. All the work we did over the last couple games is all well and good, but to get the win in the finals is the most important thing right now,” off-spinner Nurse said following the defeat.

“It’s a tournament where the final is the ultimate goal. They’ve got the better of us in the last two games, but that doesn’t mean anything. We have to turn up on Friday and try to do the work.”

In the first match, West Indies managed just 261, and Bangladesh easily chased down their target with five overs remaining. Monday’s contest was much of the same, with the Tigers chasing a modest 248 and reaching their target with nearly three overs to spare.

SERIOUS PRESSURE

Nurse, who has played 49 One-Day Internationals since his debut in 2016, said it was important for the Windies to not only bat well but to place pressure on the Bangladesh middle order, which is yet to be really tested.

“I think if we can get some more runs on the board, first and foremost, then the bowlers would have an easier job,” the 30-year-old pointed out.

“Because the wickets are really easy-paced, and it’s a case where we have to be on the ball as a bowling unit, build some pressure in the field, and put them under some serious pressure and get into their middle order.

“The two games so far, we haven’t really got into their middle order, so if we can get into the middle of their batting order, I think we’ll be in with a good shout.”

Nurse was the Windies’ best bowler on Monday with three for 53, taking his tally for the tournament to seven. However, he said that while he was pleased with his performance, he was disappointed by the result.

“Today, I had some more rhythm. From playing the other games, I didn’t have a lot of rhythm, but today, was a lot warmer as well, so I felt a lot more at home,” Nurse explained.

“It was a slow pitch, so I think the pace we bowled at was very important and today I got most of it right, so it was a good performance from me, but obviously, to get the win was the most important thing, and we didn’t do that, so we have to go back to the drawing board and come back next game.”