Charles savours getting a century
Johnson Charles said his thoughts were already on a maiden One-Day International hundred after scoring a Man-of-the-Match half-century on Tuesday in his second match since his return from seven years on the sidelines.
The 34-year-old right-hander struck a robust 63 from 47 balls with eight fours and three sixes, helping West Indies to 306 in the final over of the second ODI against the United Arab Emirates.
West Indies completed an easy 78-run win after restricting the hosts to 228 for seven from their 50 overs.
“Today I just lapsed a little bit, and that cost me my wicket, but it’s going to come,” Charles said about targeting his third ODI hundred.
“I just have to keep doing the basics and prolonging, and I think it (hundred) will come.”
He continued: “I’ve been just working on the basics and trying to get them right all the time – if not all the time – and that’s been working for me, along with the positive mindset.”
Charles’s maiden ODI hundred came against Australia in Melbourne nine years ago, his second coming nearly two weeks later against Zimbabwe in the Caribbean.
He lost his place in both white-ball formats in 2016 and never resurfaced until gaining a recall to the Twenty20 (T20) team in October for the ill-fated campaign in the T20 World Cup Down Under.
However, he has averaged 35 in the format since his return – including a magnificent 118 against South Africa at Centurion last March – and his recall to the ODI unit has marked a complete turnaround in his career.
“I basically just had to work on the basics. It’s not much but just keeping my balance, trying not to over-hit the ball and having a strong base – hit the ball where it wants to be hit, and basically that’s what I’ve been working on, and it’s been working for me,” said Charles, about his recent form.
West Indies lead the three-match series 2-0 following their seven-wicket win in Sunday’s opener and face UAE in the final game today.