January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
Hemp on 143 as Bermuda angles for win
Hemp (143 not out), who received excellent support from Stephen Outerbridge (80) and Saleem Mukuddem (89 not out), batted the islanders into a position of strength on day three of their Intercontinental Cup match.
Bermuda were set to resume this morning on 432 for six - 54 runs ahead of their opponents -with Mukuddem and Hemp still at the crease.
And Hemp, who said he was pleased and relieved to have earned his first hundred for his adopted country, indicated that they would be going all out for the win.
He said the key was to pile on the runs before lunch today and then try and dismiss the Dutch cheaply in the little time that remained.
"We need to bat well in the morning and make sure there is only one team that can win it.
"There's potentially 100 overs left so we'll try and bat to lunch and build a lead of 150 plus and then you never know what can happen."
Hemp said everything had finally come together for Bermuda yesterday as the batsmen got the luck they deserved and enjoyed their best day on tour so far.
"We've been making strides, even though the results haven't shown it yet.
"It's been a bit frustrating. I've felt good the whole trip. I've been striking the ball well and I've been pleased with the way I've been playing but I haven't been able to get a big score.
"It's nice to spend some time at the wicket and get some runs for the team."
He said it had been the same for some of the other batsmen, particularly young Stephen Outerbridge who got a deserved half-century after a poor run of scores.
"Stephen has been pretty down the past couple of weeks because he's been playing well and not getting the results he has deserved.
"He's been moving his feet well and playing nicely in practice. He played a really good innings to set us up well and was unfortunate not to get a hundred.
"Saleem was the same. He came in at a difficult time and did exceptionally well."
He said the team had taken time to settle on the tour, particularly in Kenya where the facilities and conditions were far from ideal, but was starting to click and to feed off the confidence their improved performances had given them.
"The stats will say it was 3-0 to Kenya but you have got to look deeper than that and see there were positives from every match.
"The way our batters started to play towards the end of that tour suggests that we could have done better, with a bit more time to get used to the conditions.
"In terms of talent I don't think there is a big difference between the two sides, it's just a matter of application and making sure we play good basic cricket."
He said he was sure that the results would come soon, now that the team had found their form.
"We've got to take each day as it comes. We've got a big day tomorrow and the opportunity to push for a win.
"Once that's done and dusted we can start thinking about the one-day games. We can hopefully take some confidence from this game and get some wins there."[[In-content Ad]]
Comments:
You must login to comment.