Gabriel aiming for consistency

Gabriel aiming for consistency
By Roger Seepersad
Trinidadexpress.com

While many regional players would want to forget the injury-plagued West Indies tour of New Zealand, fast bowler Shannon Gabriel will remember it for the lessons it taught him.
The Sagicor High Performance Centre graduate played the first and second Tests against New Zealand, returning figures of  zero for 148 from 27.5 overs and none for 16 from five overs in Dunedin and two for 86 from 25.1 overs in Wellington.

Speaking to the Express during a Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board three-day trial match at the National Cricket Centre, Balmain Couva on Saturday, Gabriel admitted those were not his best performances but said they were experiences he could learn from.
“I think the tour to New Zealand was another learning experience for me in terms of being more consistent and  getting a better look at international cricket, how to adjust to different conditions and learning about different things  to do with the ball,” he explained.
And the key lessons for Gabriel was the need for consistency, having a plan and being able to execute it when the time is right.

“The international arena is much more difficult than first-class cricket and I think the main thing is just to be more consistent in what you are doing and knowing what you want to do with the ball and when to do it,” he added.

Now back in training with the T&T side for the regional Super50--which will be hosted in Trinidad and Tobago from January 30 to February 17—Gabriel wants to prove that he can take his game up another notch.The 25-year-old right arm pacer was selected in the T&T squad for the Super50 and will form part of a T&T bowling attack which will be more reliant on pace to get the job done.

Gabriel, Ravi Rampaul, Kevon Cooper, Dwayne Bravo, Rayad Emrit are the pacers in the side, with Sunil Narine, Imran  Khan and Yannick Ottley doing the  the spin bowling.
Jason Mohammed is also a spin option while Lendl Simmons can provide some medium pace support.
Looking ahead to his upcoming assignment, Gabriel said: “I just go out there and give 100 per cent but I have a personal goals for the tournament.

“Most people don’t see me as a limited overs player so I just want to go out there and showcase my ability and prove them wrong,” he said. “I am taking everything in stride and learning from each game I play and learning from my mistakes.
“At the end of the day you just have to go out there and put the ball in the right areas. We have the experience of Dwayne and Ravi there also so they will be able to help me a along.”