BAN vs WI | Leading the attack is a challenge that I am willfully accepting, proclaims Alzarri Joseph

It was always going to be a challenge for this young West Indian squad to go to the subcontinent against Bangladesh and come away with a positive result, with the big names missing. However, their performance in the first ODI enunciated their vulnerability, with lack of application and inexperience costing them. 

After being put to the bat, they were bundled out for just 122 runs, which was a cakewalk chase for the hosts. Ahead of the second ODI, in the pre-match press conference, Alazarri Joseph, who leads the attack, stated that it is a challenge that he is ready to accept. Joseph put on a show with the ball but despite that came away with no wickets, conceding just 17 runs in his eight-over spell. 

"It is a challenge. More often than not, everyone is looking at me to set the tone, and be the aggressor. Lead the attack. It is basically a challenge that I am wilfully accepting. It is just for me to do the work. Lead by example, as we'd say in the Caribbean," said Joseph, reported Cricbuzz.

While insisting on being patient with the youngsters, he reckoned that the application shown by the batsmen were not up to the mark, which cost them at least 100 runs on that day. He also stated that there was a visible bout of nervousness in the batting unit. 

"Playing your first ODI, there's going to be some nerves, especially if you waited a long time for this call. I think there were a bit of nerves. I wouldn't say that it necessarily affected their batting performances. I think it was just not the best application from all our batsmen. We have to come back better in the second ODI."

Despite the result, where he stressed upon application and experience as two defining factors in the loss, Joseph is pretty confident that the side from the Caribbean would come out guns blazing in the second ODI, on Friday. 

"It probably might have boiled down to not having the experience playing against a team that is well experienced. Probably a bit of application as well. But that being said, we have already seen that is there's to come at us, so we have no excuses in the second ODI. We have seen the bowling attack and somewhat of the batting. So we should be well prepared to give a better showing in the second ODI,” he concluded.