We've seen some good progress in our batting, says West Indies batter Shemaine Campbelle

West Indies cricketer Shemaine Campbelle has admitted there has been "good progress" on the batting front ahead of the team's series against England starting next week. The five-match T20I series gets underway with the first game at Derby on September 21 – the first taste of competitive cricket since the coronavirus forced a halt in March.



“The couple days we've been here we've seen some good progress in our batting. I know it's going to be a challenge…but it's just for us to go out and play hard and remain positive in everything that we do. We've just got to focus on our potential and our skills and preparation,” Campbelle told reporters during a virtual media conference.



Batting has been a concern for West Indies of late. Despite having some very aggressive players in their line-up, the side has often been over-reliant on the trio of Stafanie Taylor, Hayley Matthews and Deandra Dottin who all had relatively poor runs during the T20 World Cup in Australia earlier this year. However, Campbelle said she believes the side can turn their form around.



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“The key is to go out there and play hard cricket. In training so far everyone has been (doing well), so we just need to keep that momentum and take it into the games. And if we do that, we can come out victorious in this five-match series,” she said.



Campbelle, who occasionally keeps wickets, also said that the players are anxious to get on the field. “Obviously, for us, it's a great feeling coming back to play women's international cricket. It's a really big task and we're just going to look forward to having some good cricket (against) England,” said the middle-order batter.



“Cricket is something we love in the Caribbean so coming back out on the field is always a good feeling for us. As a unit, we just want to go out and play and enjoy the sport,” said the 27-year-old cricketer. The series will be the first bilateral fixture for West Indies since facing India in the Caribbean last November.



The 2016 T20 World Champions didn’t have a great World Cup this year bowing out in the group stages. Campbelle stated the players have learnt a lot from the tournament which was won by top-ranked Australia.



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“For us it's just to go out and execute. We learnt a bit of a lesson (from the World Cup) so we just got to come back strong. We're well prepared mentally and physically, so we're just waiting for the challenge (versus England),” she said.



The veteran of 102 T20Is and 83 ODIs is an energetic player at the batting crease and is one of the senior members of the side.  She said that she is ready to take up the responsibility and performing more consistently to help the team get over the line.



“For me, as an experienced player in the team…I've just got to go and do what I'm accustomed to — lead from the front so the (young players) can follow from there. I know I'm capable of batting and doing well for the team, so it's a matter of going out and play(ing) the cricket that I know I can play,” Campbell said.