Strike grounds Sarwan, King

BRIDGETOWN: West Indies cricket coach Bennett King said yesterday he was happy that his first tournament in charge pits his team against world champions Australia. “It’s actually a very good yardstick for myself and also for the side to play considering I would have liked an easier start. The West Indies will spend two days in London before travelling to Australia to compete in January’s three-nation VB Series, a one-day competition that also includes Pakistan. The team flew without captain Brian Lara and Guyanese players Ramnaresh Sarwan and Reon King. Lara was given permission to join the team in London a day late while Sarwan and King were stranded in Guyana by an air traffic controllers’ strike.

King, an Australian and the first foreigner to coach the West Indies, said he was confident that the progress made during the pre-tour camp, which ended on December 15, had continued during  the Christmas holiday break. “I gave the guys tasks of hitting 200 balls daily, bowlers delivering 150-200 per week and everyone taking 500 balls to field or catch,” King said. “Most of the players have ticked most   of those off to me verbally.” King also praised teenage batsman Xavier Marshall, the only newcomer in the 14-member squad.  “He’s got time. He’s certainly an exciting player at the crease,” King said of the 18-year-old Jamaican.

“I like the fact that he likes to score off every ball he faces,” the Australian added. “Certainly, he’s shown his youth at the  camp but how he’s mixed with the adults showed me he’s got a cricket maturity. “What he does in the field as well —  he’s exceptional and hit the wickets a lot,” King added. The West Indies plays three warm-up matches, one against state side Victoria and two against a strong Australia “A” team, before the VB Series begins on January 14 in Melbourne.

The squad: Brian Lara (captain), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (vice-captain), Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo, Xavier Marshall, Ryan Hinds, Courtney Browne, Ian Bradshaw, Pedro Collins, Mervyn Dillon, Reon King. (AP)