A day after the city of Perth welcomed the West Indies cricketers in typical Caribbean fashion amidst a lot of pomp and show, the players hit the nets in an optional training session. Although not in full attendance, the intent in the West Indies camp was clear and they put the hard yards as they gear up to face India next at the WACA on Friday.
The team practiced under the watchful eyes of bowling coach Curtly Ambrose and chairman of selectors Clive Lloyd. Former cricketing legend, Lloyd was wary of the Indian challenge and expected the contest to be a good battle. “It will be a good game. India will be good opponents,” Lloyd said. “They have been playing well and we have been sporadic in our play but we’re hoping that this pitch at the WACA will suit us quite well. It should be an exciting game.
“They’ve won three out of three. So we can’t fault their bowling or their batting. India is always a formidable side and they’ll continue to be so. But when you set a standard, people expect you to keep that standard all the time. India have a good all-round side and that is why they have been champions. They are doing well but I hope they don’t do too well on Friday,” Lloyd said.
Praising India’s consistency in the tournament so far, Lloyd was confident that his team too had all the ingredients to go one-up against India. “We have a good bowling attack, good batsmen, and a good all-round side. We have a formidable side.”
“We bat till eight or nine; everybody from one to nine has done extremely well and posted big scores. Once we bat to our potential we will do extremely well. It is obvious that this game is important to us and for India too. We want to do well and if we play to our ability we will be able to do so.”
The wicket at the WACA offered a lot of bounce for the Indian bowlers in their previous game against UAE. R Ashwin, in particular, made use of the bounce to his advantage and put up a match-winning display. The pitch is once again expected to provide a lot of purchase for the bowlers and it is going to be a contest between the West Indian pace battery against a star studded Indian batting line-up.
Lloyd though, was of the view that the success of his pacers depended on the performance on that given day. “It all depends on the day’s cricket. India have good batsmen in their side and I am sure they have played against very fast bowlers. They will be able to combat anything that is thrown at them. ODI cricket is all about who plays well on the day and gets their disciplines right. If we do that, we will give them a good run for their money.”
By: BCCI
