King expects Lara to give his best

WEST INDIES coach Bennett King is hoping all members of the team will be fully fit and ready to fight for victory in the Second Digicel Test match against Souith Africa at the Queen’s Park Oval. The match starts on Friday, but yesterday he said,  “like every team, we go into each match aiming for victory. And our team is no different as we seek to improve on the result from the first Test.”

Asked to comment on the captaincy position which has stirred much discussion and debate within the last week, King said he hopes everything works out well for the benefit of the team and West Indies cricket. He said: “The Board has made their decision and we expect to move on as a unit. I expect Brian Lara and the other players who have joined the squad will give of their best for us to achieve our objectives.” The WICB announced yesterday, Shivnarine Chanderpaul who led the team in the drawn First Test at Bourda, Guyana, will be captain for the remainder of the four-Test Digicel series.

King said: “We have a lot of work to be done and we are up against a tough team. The players coming in have played international cricket and they have much to contribute.  “They have much experience and they are used to the rigours of five-day cricket,” added the coach who was on the ball as soon as the team arrived in Trinidad and Tobago yesterday afternoon and checked in at the newly-opened Marriot Courtyard Hotel. Not long after checking in, King immediately held a recovery session at the hotel’s swimming pool with players who participated in the First Test. Dwayne Bravo had already checked in at the hotel before the team arrived, while Lara was expected to move in before Jamaica’s Christopher Gayle who was due to arrive from Jamaica at 7 pm last night. Ramnaresh Sarwan travelled with the squad from Guyana and he was also involved in the swimming pool session. King also said  the West Indies team will be in training at the Queen’s Park Oval from 2 pm today.

The full squad comprise:  Shivnarine Chanderpaul (capt), Wavell Hinds, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Christopher Gayle, Brian Lara, Ryan Hinds, Dwayne Bravo, Courtney Browne, Pedro Collins, Reon King, Darren Powell, and Dwight Washington.