The second Test in Adelaide was a pretty decent game for us but it was unfortunate that we didn’t get the five wickets we needed at the end to get the win and level the series. We led from the front from the start and we ended the game well even though we did not win. I have to commend each player, everyone contributed to the team effort which cannot be faulted and I hope we go about it in the same fashion in the final Test in Perth.

There were a lot of positives to come out of that game after the disaster in Brisbane where it was really an embarrassing Test for us. In the first innings in Adelaide we discussed how important it was for us to put a solid total on the board. We did not start off well but then Dwayne Bravo stepped up and led with a tremendous hundred and Brendan Nash also played a fantastic innings of 92. Darren Sammy chipped with 44 and Ravi Rampaul got 40 at the bottom of the order to get us up to 451 which was a decent score on the pitch.

When we bowled we did not pick up any wickets on the second day but on the third day the guys pulled off what I think was a tremendous achievement in getting all ten Australian wickets. We have to hail and pay compliments to Sulieman Benn who got his first five wicket haul. He bowled so well getting a lot of bounce and using variations well. Kemar Roach bowled with consistent pace. He was regularly clocking 150kmp and that is something I haven’t seen in a long time in the Test arena. Kemar unsettled every single one of the Aussie batsmen and they really didn’t look comfortable against him. I am sure he will play a big part in Perth. We are really looking forward to seeing him go on the Perth pitch. I hope he goes out and expresses himself and keeps enjoying the game.

That said, Ravi, Bravo and Sammy all played their part with the ball in Adelaide as well.

I am happy with our catching. It was outstanding. We have been putting in a lot of work on catching in practice as it is an area of our game which we have to get right and it is critical to our all round cricket.

To get a lead, even though it was only 12 runs, in Adelaide was something which gave us a boost but we knew that one of the set batsmen had to be there at the end of play on day four.

I was the batsman who got the start and I had to be the man to put up my hand and bat through because the most important thing was to set Australia a decent score. In the end I scored a ton against Australia which is my first against them and it is something I always wanted to do.

As a team sometimes we don’t bat well in the second innings so we knew it was important to be focussed on the task and really bat on. It wasn’t an easy innings for me. When the ball gets older it tends to do more and I had to curb my instincts. If I can say so myself it was a gutsy innings and I had to fight to the end.

I am proud of the innings. I am very happy with it. It was a determined knock I think. I played long innings before but I have been learning more and more how to curb my game and build an innings. Hopefully I can continue and try to better my performance in Perth.

I have to mention that after the first game we had a long discussion and spoke about where we went wrong which was pretty obvious to everyone. What we did was to get everyone to commit to personal responsibility; to go out there in the second Test and do well for the team and the fans. Brisbane was a bit of a rush, a lot of things were happening and it sort of hit us sudden but that is not an excuse.

We recovered and we rebounded in Adelaide and I have to say again that I am tremendously proud of the effort from the guys. What the draw did for us is give us that belief that if we continue to play like that we will get more wins under our belts and that is what we are looking to do in Perth.

It’s a bit of a long break until the third Test. We arrived in Perth on Wednesday and we had a recovery session on Thursday. We will resume practice and get in some more recovery time because it was a long and hard five days in Adelaide. We have to prepare properly to be ready for the Perth test so that we can finish on a high. We have that belief that we can go out there and win.

And finally I have to thank all the fans and everyone for their prayers and support for me and my family I appreciate it very much.

Chris.