CRICKET-Hope urges more ‘intent’ for Sydney ODI.

SYDNEY, Australia, CMC – Captain Shai Hope wants West Indies to be “up for the fight” when they face Australia in the all-important second day-night One-Day International here Sunday (Saturday, 11:30 pm Eastern Caribbean time).

West Indies entered the contest after suffering a heavy eight-wicket defeat in the opening ODI in Melbourne on Friday when their batting failed to fire, and their bowling proved ineffective on a good batting deck.

They slumped to 59 for four before recovering from being all out for 231 in the penultimate over and then watched as the Aussies made light work of the target, winning with over 11 overs to spare.

“Starting a tour like that, you would’ve wanted to take the first win,” Hope told reporters.

“Unfortunately, we’ve got to return to the drawing board now. We still have two more games, so we have room to improve.

“We probably need to be more intent and be up for the fight.

“We’re playing in their backyards. They’re not going to roll over and allow us to score freely and win games, so we need to find a way to put them under pressure and then score some big totals.”

Keacy Carty, who top-scored with a polished 88, and veteran Roston Chase, who made a breezy 59, were the highlights of an otherwise ordinary West Indies batting effort.

With West Indies staring at a rout, they engineered a 110-run, fifth-wicket stand to pull their side out of trouble.

But they also fell within 28 deliveries of each other, triggering a lower-order collapse as the Caribbean side lost their last five wickets for just 38 runs.

Hope said it was important that the West Indies won the game’s critical moments and not let advantages slip.

“You have to look at the positives from each game, whether in the field and the batting, and we must take some stuff out of there, but that partnership gave us a chance at least,” he pointed out.

“Roston got out at a crucial stage when we were building, putting ourselves in a position to have a demanding total.

“And Keacy again, that unfortunate run out. [We’re] just not grasping the crucial stages of the game and then allowing Australia to dictate pretty much how things [go afterward].”

West Indies had mixed fortunes in ODIs last year, winning ten of 18 matches, including a year-ending series victory over England.

They launched the series with a record run chase in Antigua when they overhauled 326 to win by four wickets.

Hope said his side’s modest total in Melbourne had been inadequate and stressed that totals over 300 needed to become the benchmark.

“[It was] not [a good enough total]. But even if we score ten or 15, anytime you cross the line as a fielding group, you’ve got to believe you can win the game,” Hope said.

“I think it was a way below-par score. We need to look at in excess of 300, probably 320, to give ourselves a chance.

“It was a perfect pitch; you see how the ball came onto the bat. It was perfect for batting. We didn’t have enough runs on the board [but] next game [is an] opportunity to come better.”

He added: “We just need to ensure we can improve from there. [We have to] learn quickly because we’re not at home, we’re not used to these conditions – most of the guys – so the faster we adjust, the faster we can come better for the next game.”