The Jamaica Star :: Sport :: 'Lankans playing in familiar conditions'

PROVIDENCE, Guyana

West Indies vice captain Ramnaresh Sarwan who top-scored with 80 in his team's 269 for nine against Sri Lanka in the First Digicel Test said he was happy to be back in international cricket after being out for seven months.

The right-hander said though that Sri Lanka, who scored 476 for eight declared in their first innings were playing in very familiar conditions despite being the visiting team.

"The surface here (at Providence) is very similar to the ones they play on in Sri Lanka, when I toured Sri Lanka a few years ago it was the same sort of surface, Mahela (Jayawardene the Sri Lankan captain) seems to know the conditions pretty well with the sort of field placements that he has been putting forward to us," Sarwan told journalists shortly after the end of the third day's play.

Preparing pitch

Asked whether the Caribbean groundsmen need to rethink their apparent inclination of preparing pitches which suit the visiting team (given pitches in 2004 and 2006 in Jamaica which England and India respectively won Test matches on along with the current one at Providence) more than the home team Sarwan was cautious but hinted that the Providence pitch could have been prepared with more pace and bounce.

"You have to take into consideration the opposition you are playing against whether you want a track that is faster and bouncier, so probably we want the opportunity to play on something that has more pace and bounce but that didn't happen so we have to try and continue working hard as a team and try to work through that," a diplomatic Sarwan said.

He said that the Sri Lankan plan of bowling on one side of the wicket along with the experience of their top bowlers were added bonuses for them.

"Obviously they have the experience of Chaminda Vaas who has been doing this year in year out for them, especially on the flat surfaces they play on in Sri Lanka so basically it wasn't a surprise to me because they know the conditions here pretty well," the 27-year-old Guyanese said.