Windies’ backs against wall

BRIDGETOWN: West Indies coach Gus Logie is optimistic that his side can win, or at least draw, the third Cable and Wireless cricket Test against Australia, starting tomorow at Kensington Oval.

 With the Aussies bent on being the first side to complete a series whitewash in the Caribbean after they won the first two Tests of the best-of-four series, Logie’s charges find themselves with their backs up against the wall. “This (confident) assessment is based not only on my optimism, but it is also the optimism we are getting from the players,” the former Trinidad and Tobago captain and West Indies batsman told reporters in a pre-match news interview during the team’s training session at the Barbados Defence Force ground. “We have been seeing many positives from match to match. The captain has been talking about the first match, that we lost on the fourth day, and the second Test, that we carried into a session shy of five days. We have had five centuries. These are all positives.  “Also, we never had our best possible 11 out there at any time during the series and, in this match, we should have something looking like it. Certainly we are very optimistic about this Test and we believe anything is possible.”

Logie hopes that West Indies’ rich history at Kensington Oval will work in his side’s favour. “Even though I know we have had negative results in a few of the recent Tests in Barbados, we hope we can rise to the challenge,” he said. “We are buoyed by the fact that we have Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ridley Jacobs and Jermaine Lawson back, as well as Chris Gayle. We are glad to have them back because they left a big hole in the team. We hope they are fit and raring to go.” Logie, however, would not speculate on the possible composition of the final 11. Many knowledgeable observers have indicated that West Indies should play all four of the fast bowlers they have selected along with seven batsmen. The pitch at Kensington Oval was until yesterday under preparation and Logie has not had a chance to have a chat with either Richard Edwards, chairman of the Barbados Cricket Association grounds committee, or Hendy Davis, the head curator at the ground. “We have been getting a lot of reports indirectly about the quality of the pitch though,” he said. “It is expected to be fast for the first day-and-a-half and keep low the rest, but I do not know how accurate that is going to be.” Australia won the opening Test in Georgetown by nine wickets and the Second Test in Port-of-Spain by 118 runs.