 Sammy skittled England's middle order at Old Trafford |
West Indies paceman Darren Sammy said his native St Lucia "would not sleep tonight" after he took 7-66 on his debut against England at Old Trafford. Sammy is the first St Lucian to play Test cricket and his figures were the second best by a West Indian debutant after Alf Valentine took eight in 1950.
"I dreamt of it but I never thought it was possible," said Sammy.
"There will be a party back home. I don't think they'll sleep tonight. I will though. It was a long day for us."
Valentine's 8-104 also came at Old Trafford, while Sammy's haul is the best at this venue in a Test since Malcolm Marshall's 7-22 in 1988.
Sammy rattled through England with a spell of six for 12 in 33 balls, including three wickets in one over.
He said: "I am the first Test cricketer from St Lucia and many people will be calling from back home congratulating me tonight.
 | We'll take it session by session and see how far we can go. The guys are very confident |
"But I will definitely be sleeping tonight."
Sammy, 23, a former member of the MCC playing staff, added: "It just shows if you put the ball in the right areas you can get results.
"The ball seams around a little bit and you just have to be patient whether you are bowling or batting.
"I really want to thank the guys for believing in me and rallying behind me."
West Indies closed on 22-1 chasing 455 to win the third Test and level the four-match series.
Sammy insists the visitors will approach their task in a positive manner, although the odds are stacked heavily against them.
He said: "We'll take it session by session and see how far we can go. The guys are very confident. We just have to be patient and put the bad balls away."
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