Firstly I must tell you directly something which I have said before and which is perhaps obvious and that is that it's an honour an privilege to captain the West Indies.
This is my first tour as captain and I will try my very best to help revive West Indies cricket with the help of the players, the staff and the administrators and the support of the fans. We will be able to rise once again but it's not going to happen overnight, it will take a lot of hard work, dedication and communication. We've got to take it step by step.
I am looking forward to leading the team in this Test series with the support of all the guys on the team and all the fans here in England and at home as well.Leading up to this current warm up game against Somerset it was hard for us to get quality preparation given the typical English weather. However while we did not get a chance to practice outdoors at all we made the best use of the indoor facilities. I was very impressed with the way everyone went about their training. Having arrived two days before the warm up game I am sure guys were jet lagged and not acclimatized and to show the effort and commitment they put in training was really impressive.
I won the toss against Somerset and we had decided that we would have batted because we didn't have much time in the middle since the World Cup. The conditions were not the best for batting but because we needed the practice we had to take the opportunity to bat. We have clearly recognized how important it is to get a good start because I think the new ball would play a major part in these conditions. Having said that we ended up being 44 for 4.
We lost Chris Gayle, Daren Ganga, Devon Smith and myself rather early. That put us in a very difficult situation but Runako Morton and Shiv Chanderpaul played exceptionally well. Runako counter attacked and Shiv gave him as much support as he could have to ensure that we dug ourselves out of a hole.
Everyone was delighted for Runako getting a much deserved hundred and it is unfortunate that he had to retire hurt late in the day. However he will be fine for the first Test as he only suffered a strain in his right thigh.
Shiv showed his experience during his innings and reminded us all of the gritty player he is. He also deserves a hundred for his efforts and I hope he goes on tomorrow and achieves that and then carries on. It is also important that Dwayne Bravo supports him as much as he can and tries to form a partnership with Shiv.
I am hoping that the rest of batters who follow will form partnerships with whoever is in as well. Chris suffered a bruise left thumb when batting and had to have a precautionary xray but he will be fine as there are no fractures or anything serious to cause us to worry about his availability for the first test. He may not take to the field just to ensure there is no further aggravation.
I am happy that despite the fact that we had two injury scares today that both Chris and Runako did not suffer serious injuries and will pull through fine. England plays well at home and it will be a challenging Test series for us. It's very important that we execute our plans that we will set out over the next few days and if we can do that on a consistent basis we can compete and prevail. We are quietly about doing well in this series and the boys are very keen to take on England starting at Lords next Thursday.
Wednesday
"Ready to get started" - Chris Gayle
It's four more days to go to the opening ceremony and we are improving as we go along with our preparations. We had a good practice game against Kenya on Monday at the Trelawny Multi Purpose Stadium and some of the guys got a feel for the new venue and a hit in the middle.
It was good to see Marlon (Samuels) scoring a hundred and that he is still in form. I hope he continues along this way. In the bowling department the bowlers are beginning to look good for us. We are working to be the best we can be, on getting it right and having everything come into place for us by the opening game against Pakistan on March13th at Sabina Park.
As a personal observation the Trelawny Multi Purpose Stadium is very impressive, the surroundings look good and it is a nice ground to play cricket at.
Tuesday was a day off for us, we did a team event, playing football on the lawns of the Ritz Carlton Hotel here in Montego Bay. We are working on getting the group more united, get the group together even more. All the guys enjoyed the football session yesterday. Wednesday it's back to more cricket skills, we will be back in the nets and focusing on the cricket aspect of our game.
We have one more practice game to go against India on Friday and it is obviously going to be a tougher challenge for us. It will however be a good build up to the first game against Pakistan. We have to use these games to stamp our authority and get the early advantage especially against India. Everyone has been looking forward to it as well.
"Disappointed but Expectant" - Denesh Ramdin
I have to first mention that I was a bit surprised by not being selected to play against Kenya on Monday at the Trelawny Multi Purpose Stadium. However it was a blessing in disguise for me. I know I probably need to work harder over the next couple of days on my batting and gather my game in order for the big opening match against Pakistan on March 13th. Overall I am looking forward to the World Cup as I have mentioned several times before. It's my first one and I'm definitely looking to do well.
I have to say well done to Simmo (Lendl Simmons) after wicketkeeping for a long time. He definitely has the ability to keep wicket. He did not do too badly although it is an unusual position for him. Normally he is outside, fielding and running around and during the match while carrying water he was joking to me that he wanted me to take over because he was getting tired and bored.
I am hoping to create a big impact with both bat and gloves as well as to help the West Indies team in every possible way to win the World Cup. I have to also congratulate Sammy (Marlon Samuels) and Chris (Gayle). They both played well and they put a challenging score on the board for us to go out and bowl to. I think we could have restricted Kenya to around 200, we need to be a little more consistent in the bowling department.
It was Kieron's (Pollard) first game I think he handled it well with both bat and ball. Hopefully he can continue and learn as we go along. We are looking forward to the game on Friday against India.
In the net sessions I am working a lot on the basic stuff – keeping and batting as well as urging the other players to keep working hard and staying focused. I've also been playing some golf at the White Witch golf course here in Montego Bay. Brian (Lara), Simmo, Kieron, Dwayne (Smith) and I had a putting competition with the loser buying lunch for the rest for a week. Sorry Kieron. I escaped, placing second and will be ringing Kieron whenever I get hungry around lunch time. Of course Brian, who we all know is a competent golfer topped the table.
One Tuesday we had a break from net sessions but we played football on the lawns at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in the afternoon with the squad split into four four man teams. Our team (me, Brian, Daren Powell and Devon Smith) won a couple of games and lost some. It was good fun for us overall though.
This evening the team has a bit of get together to relax, I could do with a home cooked meal now from Mum.
Monday
"Much Hard Work To Be Done" - Ramnaresh Sarwan
I have to start by congratulating the West Indies Players Association for the wonderful Annual Awards Ceremony in Barbados.
I am happy for the president, Mr. Dinanath Ramnarine and obviously for winning the One Day player of the year award as well. As you would be aware we have had five days in camp in Kingston Jamaica. Not all of the team are here yet so it has been slightly indifferent. However, you still have to make the best use of the time spent together with the players. Nevertheless, we are together now as a full unit.
In camp I have been batting in the nets against spin bowlers just to be on the safe side. I've started to bat against spin and gradually groove myself back into full batting. I'm really looking forward to our first warm up game against Kenya on the 5th of March due to the fact that I haven't played cricket for some time. It will be an opportunity to get some sort of match practice.
Additionally, in order to get myself ready for the big opening game on the 13th I will have to work very hard during the remaining net sessions because I haven't had much proper practice. We arrived today in Montego Bay and it's the fastest I've ever cleared immigration which is an excellent early sign for the organizers of the Cricket World Cup. I do hope it continues throughout the rest of the tournament.
I am particularly looking forward to the opening ceremony on the 11th of March at the new stadium in Trelawny, it's the first ever World Cup being held in the Caribbean and it would be a memorable moment that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I really enjoyed the opening ceremony in my first World Cup in South Africa and I am sure we will put on an even better show.
I am particularly looking forward to the opening ceremony on the 11th of March at the new stadium in Trelawny, it's the first ever World Cup being held in the Caribbean and it would be a memorable moment that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I really enjoyed the opening ceremony in my first World Cup in South Africa and I am sure we will put on an even better show.
Thursday
Camp Going Smoothly - Chris Gayle
As everyone is aware we have a pre World Cup camp going on in Jamaica now and it has been pretty good so far. Everything has been going smoothly and everyone in the camp has been having a good time and enjoying it. The team management has been doing a very good job so far in terms of the preparation and all has been going well.
From a batting point of view we have been doing quite a bit of game simulation and that is good leading up to the warm up games against Kenya and India in Trelawny. It will give us a chance to get into a groove as we go on.
Today was a light day overall. We had a team briefing early this morning where we looked at players from the other teams competing in the tournament and we shared information with each other. We then followed that up with a pool session. Tomorrow we will return to doing some more batting work. It was more of a workshop day today and tomorrow it is going to be more intense and we will do more work on the field.
That is generally how it has been so far for the camp.
The game against Kenya is very important to us. Everyone is looking forward to it, the two warm up games will do us good leading up to the big opening game against Pakistan on March 13 at Sabina Park. These warm up games are good for us because they will give us a chance to show us what adjustments can be made leading up to the first game of the World Cup.
I am personally looking forward to playing at the brand new Trelawny Stadium for the first time. I have heard a lot of good comments being made about it and I am looking forward to getting a feel for what it is like. The guys are very enthusiastic as well about it and we will all be looking to getting acclimatized to the new stadium as soon as possible.
From a batting point of view we have been doing quite a bit of game simulation and that is good leading up to the warm up games against Kenya and India in Trelawny. It will give us a chance to get into a groove as we go on.
Today was a light day overall. We had a team briefing early this morning where we looked at players from the other teams competing in the tournament and we shared information with each other. We then followed that up with a pool session. Tomorrow we will return to doing some more batting work. It was more of a workshop day today and tomorrow it is going to be more intense and we will do more work on the field.
That is generally how it has been so far for the camp.
The game against Kenya is very important to us. Everyone is looking forward to it, the two warm up games will do us good leading up to the big opening game against Pakistan on March 13 at Sabina Park. These warm up games are good for us because they will give us a chance to show us what adjustments can be made leading up to the first game of the World Cup.
I am personally looking forward to playing at the brand new Trelawny Stadium for the first time. I have heard a lot of good comments being made about it and I am looking forward to getting a feel for what it is like. The guys are very enthusiastic as well about it and we will all be looking to getting acclimatized to the new stadium as soon as possible.
Tuesday
"It Was A Sweet Victory" - Denesh Ramdin
Going into the finals of the Carib Beer Challenge Trophy we had a lot confidence. We needed to win because Barbados had the better of us in the first match this season and there is always something to talk about between the two teams. It was a sweet victory for us, it's good to beat the Barbadians in our own backyard. It was really a big victory.
We had to take revenge because we lost that first game this year and we knew they would come hard at us. There was rivalry between the two teams, they tried to intimidate us with a lot of sledging as well as bowling short balls but we were disciplined enough not to fall into their traps.
We have to congratulated our captain Daren Ganga because he really batted well in both innings. Ravi Rampaul bowled excellently also to ensure the victory. Daren's century put us in front and we thought we could have bowled out the Barbadians for about 150 but Ryan Hinds played an excellent innings to ensure that we did not get a huge lead. They then tried to restrict us knowing that they were behind. They camel out attacking us and they picked up a couple of early wickets and put us under pressure with some tight bowling helped by some careless shots on our part and they were able to bowl us out in the end.
We gave them 276 to win and on the third day, in the last session they had a good start to get to 99 for 1. We knew though, that we needed one wicket to upset them. We got the wicket and a few more followed. Ravi bowled us back into the game and he gave us a good chance of finishing it off on the fourth day. A couple of wickets from Taddy (Dave Mohammed) and then Ravi came back and closed it off for us. It was a tremendous feeling to win that crucial game.
I think we're on the right track in terms of Trinidad and Tobago cricket. We just need now for the younger players to step up and score centuries alongside the captain so it won't be a one man show. I think it is our consistency that is doing it for us, our all round game, it is not just our batting or bowling. We try to help one another on and off the field, we gel together nicely. We go out and try to execute the plans that we have for teams and not try to do the opposite. We also always put the team first and individual performances after. I think that's why we have been so successful.
The local cricket in Trinidad and Tobago has helped significantly as well. There are three different tournaments, a 50 overs, a 20/20 and a 3-day. There is a lot of cricket being played and that is good for us as players. Then quite a few of the players also go off overseas to play in different leagues as well.
We have gotten our hands on most of the regional trophies and we are now looking to get the regional 20/20 trophy. A lot of the players are looking forward to the next tournament and they are talking about it a lot. We will start our preparations for that tournament shortly.
Right now we are just trying to enjoy the victory we had. In the next few days we will head off to Jamaica and get together for the World Cup. As everyone has been saying we are all very much anxious and looking forward to it. Personally it is the biggest platform and I'd like to do great things in the World Cup for my team.
Finally I'd like to urge the guys on the Trinidad and Tobago team to continue to work hard and enjoy the victory and look for more in future. I enjoy playing for TT as well and I'd like to thank all the fans who came out to support us and believed in us all the way. Their support really means a lot to us as players.
We had to take revenge because we lost that first game this year and we knew they would come hard at us. There was rivalry between the two teams, they tried to intimidate us with a lot of sledging as well as bowling short balls but we were disciplined enough not to fall into their traps.
We have to congratulated our captain Daren Ganga because he really batted well in both innings. Ravi Rampaul bowled excellently also to ensure the victory. Daren's century put us in front and we thought we could have bowled out the Barbadians for about 150 but Ryan Hinds played an excellent innings to ensure that we did not get a huge lead. They then tried to restrict us knowing that they were behind. They camel out attacking us and they picked up a couple of early wickets and put us under pressure with some tight bowling helped by some careless shots on our part and they were able to bowl us out in the end.
We gave them 276 to win and on the third day, in the last session they had a good start to get to 99 for 1. We knew though, that we needed one wicket to upset them. We got the wicket and a few more followed. Ravi bowled us back into the game and he gave us a good chance of finishing it off on the fourth day. A couple of wickets from Taddy (Dave Mohammed) and then Ravi came back and closed it off for us. It was a tremendous feeling to win that crucial game.
I think we're on the right track in terms of Trinidad and Tobago cricket. We just need now for the younger players to step up and score centuries alongside the captain so it won't be a one man show. I think it is our consistency that is doing it for us, our all round game, it is not just our batting or bowling. We try to help one another on and off the field, we gel together nicely. We go out and try to execute the plans that we have for teams and not try to do the opposite. We also always put the team first and individual performances after. I think that's why we have been so successful.
The local cricket in Trinidad and Tobago has helped significantly as well. There are three different tournaments, a 50 overs, a 20/20 and a 3-day. There is a lot of cricket being played and that is good for us as players. Then quite a few of the players also go off overseas to play in different leagues as well.
We have gotten our hands on most of the regional trophies and we are now looking to get the regional 20/20 trophy. A lot of the players are looking forward to the next tournament and they are talking about it a lot. We will start our preparations for that tournament shortly.
Right now we are just trying to enjoy the victory we had. In the next few days we will head off to Jamaica and get together for the World Cup. As everyone has been saying we are all very much anxious and looking forward to it. Personally it is the biggest platform and I'd like to do great things in the World Cup for my team.
Finally I'd like to urge the guys on the Trinidad and Tobago team to continue to work hard and enjoy the victory and look for more in future. I enjoy playing for TT as well and I'd like to thank all the fans who came out to support us and believed in us all the way. Their support really means a lot to us as players.
Saturday
"Pollard Can Do It" - Denesh Ramdin
I was quite confident of being selected to the World Cup squad. In India I could have done better with the gloves and gone on to get bigger scores but I unfortunately got out. After I returned home I continued to work hard on my game and my fitness. My batting is coming along now and I am still working on my keeping to ensure it gets better everyday.
I got a start with the bat against Jamaica in the KFC Cup but I did not carry on. I am quite happy with how things are progressing for me now though and I am looking forward to improving and carrying on. I am looking forward to this World Cup especially since this is like a progression for me. This will be my first World Cup at the senior level. I have played in the Under 15 and Under 19 World Cups before but this is the biggest stage and it is special that it will be in the West Indies. It is tremendous that we will be playing at home in a World Cup for the first time.
On a personal note I am looking forward to doing well and putting my team in a winning position. I know it is important for all of us to always be supporting each other on the field and off the field as well. We are representing ourselves, the team but most importantly all the people of the Caribbean and we have to make them proud. We take that very seriously as a team.
Some people ask whether there is additional pressure on wicketkeepers these days to score runs in addition to keeping well. I am personally accustomed to it, it's just to go out there and be positive, read the game accordingly and not putting yourself under pressure.
I have to congratulate Simmo (Lendl Simmons) for being selected to the squad as well. Special congratulations also to Kieron Pollard for making the West Indies World Cup squad. This has been his first season of first class cricket and he came on strong. He has shown that he has the character and the ability to go out there and play his natural game. He does not put pressure on himself. He is still only 19 and to be selected to a World Cup squad is a great achievement for any young player in his first first class season, even after getting a couple of centuries under his belt.
I wish him all the best and hope that he can go on to do great things in the World Cup. He has the capability of going out there and doing it. He just has to be careful to chose the right balls to go at and concentrate on his game. At the international level the bowlers and more experienced and smarter than bowlers at our regional level. They will adapt to the situations faster and they will try to work out his strengths and bowl to his not-so-strong areas.
After returning from India Simmo, Rayad (Emrit) and I joined the Trinidad and Tobago team which was playing some tremendous cricket. The guys were a winning team and they were dominating. We played well to get into the final of the KFC Cup and we are looking forward to the final. We are very confident of winning, we know we have to play as a team, bowl well, bat in partnerships and back ourselves all the way.
In the Carib Beer Series when we returned, the team was in a position where we needed a couple of points to go through to the final. We were up against Jamaica and they needed to win outright to move ahead of us. They won first innings points but we bounced back even though they tried to intimidate us with fast bowling, bowling short to us.
We prevailed in the end and we are now looking forward to the final against Barbados in Trinidad. They had the better of us so far this year but we are not in our backyard and that will give us some advantage.
I got a start with the bat against Jamaica in the KFC Cup but I did not carry on. I am quite happy with how things are progressing for me now though and I am looking forward to improving and carrying on. I am looking forward to this World Cup especially since this is like a progression for me. This will be my first World Cup at the senior level. I have played in the Under 15 and Under 19 World Cups before but this is the biggest stage and it is special that it will be in the West Indies. It is tremendous that we will be playing at home in a World Cup for the first time.
On a personal note I am looking forward to doing well and putting my team in a winning position. I know it is important for all of us to always be supporting each other on the field and off the field as well. We are representing ourselves, the team but most importantly all the people of the Caribbean and we have to make them proud. We take that very seriously as a team.
Some people ask whether there is additional pressure on wicketkeepers these days to score runs in addition to keeping well. I am personally accustomed to it, it's just to go out there and be positive, read the game accordingly and not putting yourself under pressure.
I have to congratulate Simmo (Lendl Simmons) for being selected to the squad as well. Special congratulations also to Kieron Pollard for making the West Indies World Cup squad. This has been his first season of first class cricket and he came on strong. He has shown that he has the character and the ability to go out there and play his natural game. He does not put pressure on himself. He is still only 19 and to be selected to a World Cup squad is a great achievement for any young player in his first first class season, even after getting a couple of centuries under his belt.
I wish him all the best and hope that he can go on to do great things in the World Cup. He has the capability of going out there and doing it. He just has to be careful to chose the right balls to go at and concentrate on his game. At the international level the bowlers and more experienced and smarter than bowlers at our regional level. They will adapt to the situations faster and they will try to work out his strengths and bowl to his not-so-strong areas.
After returning from India Simmo, Rayad (Emrit) and I joined the Trinidad and Tobago team which was playing some tremendous cricket. The guys were a winning team and they were dominating. We played well to get into the final of the KFC Cup and we are looking forward to the final. We are very confident of winning, we know we have to play as a team, bowl well, bat in partnerships and back ourselves all the way.
In the Carib Beer Series when we returned, the team was in a position where we needed a couple of points to go through to the final. We were up against Jamaica and they needed to win outright to move ahead of us. They won first innings points but we bounced back even though they tried to intimidate us with fast bowling, bowling short to us.
We prevailed in the end and we are now looking forward to the final against Barbados in Trinidad. They had the better of us so far this year but we are not in our backyard and that will give us some advantage.
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