Rampaul believes Windies closer to victory

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Ravi Rampaul said West Indies can avoid a One-day International series sweep against Pakistan in their current series.

Ravi Rampaul

The West Indies fast bowler made his comments following the third One-day International, which the Caribbean side lost by three wickets on Thursday at Kensington Oval here to give the Pakistanis a 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

“We lost the match and Pakistan won the series, but we won’t fall apart,” he said. “We are getting closer to winning, and we all want to taste that winning feeling.

“We have two more matches left in this series, and we will be playing to win. We still believe we can do the job.”

Rampaul was the pick of the West Indies bowlers in the match, with a spell of four wickets for 34 runs from nine overs. West Indies however, failed to defend a modest target of 172, as Pakistan romped to victory with 29 balls remaining.

“When I went out, I realised the pitch was offering extra bounce and some movement, and I decided to exploit it,” said Rampaul.

“I knew we made a low total, so I had to be spot on from the start. I knew if we were going to win the match we had to take all 10 wickets so I was looking to bowl Pakistan out.”

He added: “I was hitting my areas from the start, and I was feeling really good in my body and in my mind.

“When I got the first two wickets, I knew we were in with a huge chance, and I decided I would go right through to the end, and try to finish the job for the team. I felt I did a good job, but the disappointing thing was that we lost the match.”

The fourth ODI will be played this coming Monday at Kensington Oval, with the final match on Thursday at the Guyana National Stadium.