castries, saint lucia, (cmc)
AFTER A VERY hotly contested unofficial two-test series between the West Indies 'A' and England 'A' cricket teams, attention is now turned to the start of the first of five One Day International (ODI) matches with the historic day/night fixture at the Beausejour Cricket Ground today.
West Indies 'A' won the unofficial Test series 1-0, capturing the first match in Antigua last week by one wicket and securing a draw in the second match that ended here Monday.
"We had a wonderful series with some close matches and good individual performances with bat and ball. It speaks well for what will hopefully be a good one day series," England 'A' captain Vikram Solanki told CMC Sport.
He admitted that his squad was disappointed at having lost the four-day series and looking forward to the start of the limited overs version of the game.
FIRST MAJOR MATCH
Today's match at Beausejour will be the first major fixture to be played in the Caribbean under lights.
"It will be very interesting. Everybody is keeping a close eye on how this develops here. Lights react in different ways in different parts of the world. I do not know how much dew plays a part, especially in a tropical climate. We will just have to wait and see how the first game goes and assess the situation," Solanki added.
The West Indies reserves' captain Sylvester Joseph is hoping his squad can work on their weaknesses while carrying over the confidence of their four-day series victory into the limited overs matches.
"I am looking forward to the One Day series. We have to apply the necessary things that are needed. We need to get our game plan and help the guys to understand the situation," Joseph said.
Added the West Indies 'A' captain: "The experienced guys, who have played under lights before will have to instil that experience in the other players. We have to play hard as a team. Hopefully, we will come out and play positive cricket on Thursday."
TEAMS WEST INDIES 'A' (From) - Sylvester Joseph (captain), Sewnarine Chattergoon, Lendl Simmons, Marlon Samuels, Ryan Hinds (vice captain) Omari Banks, Patrick Browne, Richard Kelly, Darren Sammy, Andrew Richardson, Gavin Tonge, Dale Richards, Narsingh Deonarine.
ENGLAND 'A' (From) - Vikram Solanki, Michael Yardy, Ed Joyce, Jamie Dalrymple, Alex Loudon, Alex Wharf, Gareth Batty, Chris Read, Sajid Mahmood, Rikki Clarke, Kabir Ali, Stuart Broad, Luke Wright, Ravi Bopara.
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