Sammy out to heap misery on English

DARREN SAMMY has inflamed the build-up to the start of the one-day series against England by signalling West Indies’ intent to “grind them into the ground.”

Surprising winners in the Test series, West Indies continued their momentum with an emphatic six-wicket triumph in Sunday’s Twenty20 international in Trinidad as England continue to search for their first international victory of the winter.

All-rounder Sammy, 25, insists the focus is now on continuing that momentum during the five-match one-day series.

“Taking into consideration the win in the Test series followed by the triumph in the Twenty20, our momentum is high at the moment and we are looking to carry that momentum over into the limited-overs series,” he stressed.

“We intend to grind them into the ground — we want to keep our foot on their throats.”

Sammy’s comments are a distant echo of the famous statement made by England captain Tony Greig in 1976, who claimed he wanted England to make the West Indies “grovel” during their Test series that summer.

It proved to be a highly controversial remark and motivated the West Indies, who heavily beat England at Old Trafford, Headingley and the Oval and enjoyed a further two decades of success after that.

West Indies will be hoping Sammy’s comments do not provoke the England team in a similar manner, although they are expecting a response after their desperate display at the Queen’s Park Oval.

“We expect them to come back hard at us,” said Sammy.

“Our main focus is to continue playing well and at the same time keep them under pressure and try not to give them a win. It has been a while since the West Indies have recorded a victory over England and with the present situation we have them in, it is only fair that we grind them into the ground.”

Local hero Shivnarine Chanderpaul, a veteran of 241 one-day internationals, was far too experienced to follow a similar pattern and is wary of England bouncing back quickly from Sunday’s disappointment.

“It is going to take a lot of hard work to beat England,” warned Chanderpaul.

“It is very difficult to walk over anybody and England have a lot of match-winners in their side.

“They have lost a few games and I’m sure that is preying on their mind, but we are expecting them to come back at us hard.”

West Indies are expecting captain Chris Gayle to declare himself fit for tomorrow’s opener having been sidelined for the last week with hamstring problems he sustained in the final Test at Trinidad.