West Indies fast bowler Fidel Edwards sits on the drinks cart during a team training session at Sabina Park yesterday, as the team prepared for the first Test in the Digicel Home Series, which bowls off this morning at the picturesque venue. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer
The West Indies are hoping for a perfect start to grab an early lead, as they seek to transform their recent run of failures against England, when the first of the four-Test rubber in the 2009 Digicel Home Series bowls off at Sabina Park today at 10 a.m.
For the past three series, England have blanked the Windies 3-0 in the Caribbean (2003-04), 4-0 in England (2004) and 3-0 in England (2007).
Pleased with pitch
Both captains were pleased with the state of the pitch.
"The wicket seems like it is going to be a good one and we just have to take it step by step and play some decent basic cricket and match up with our opponents," West Indies skipper, Chris Gayle, told the media at a press conference at Sabina Park yesterday.
England's captain, Andrew Strauss, said: "I think the wicket looks pretty good. I think that it is going to be a good balance between bat and ball, and certainly, recent performances here have suggested that it is going to be a good balance."
The Windies batting will centre around the experienced trio of Christopher Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan.
"It's going to be a close match, one which whoever capitalise on the conditions will come out with a positive result," said West Indies coach John Dyson, who is hoping that his charges can continue where they left off on their recent tour of New Zealand.
In the two-match series against the Kiwis, the Windies tied the homesters 1-1 in unfavourable conditions.
"In New Zealand, the weather was a problem. But here, where we feel totally at home, I am expecting us to raise our game and, beginning with this match, have a good series," Dyson said.
Besides the big trio, the West Indies will look towards recalled opener Devon Smith, who scored a magnificent double century in the ongoing regional first-class cham-pionship, Brendon Nash, Xavier Marshall and wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin for batting resolve, while pacers Jerome Taylor, Daren Powell and Fidel Edwards, along with the lanky left-arm spinner, Sulieman Benn, will lead the bowling charge.
Players with potential
Dale Richards, the 32-year-old Barbadian opener who has been scoring heavily in the regional four-day championship and was expected to make his debut alongside Gayle at the top of the innings, suffered a foot injury and is expected to be replaced by Smith, who gets another shot at the international level.
England, who are ranked fifth in the ICC rankings, will look to Strauss, the prolific Kevin Pietersen, who scored 100 and 90 in their two warm-up matches against a St Kitts XI and the West Indies 'A', all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who has the potential to explode with bat or ball, and the stroke-making Paul Collinwood, for the bulk of their runs.
And. according to interim coach Andy Flower, he expects them to deliver.
"We got the opportunity to play some cricket in the two warm-up games we had in St Kitts and, as such, are where we would want to be," said Flower who, like Strauss, will be taking charge for the first time.
This follows the recent controversy, following a row that led to Pietersen being stripped of the captaincy and Peter Moores sacked as coach.
"The players really got a chance to assess the conditions, get some runs and some wickets, and now I think we are ready," Flower added.
Both teams are yet to name their starting 11 for the match, opting to wait until this morning.
Let's Play ball!
Local cricket fans will today be hoping for a perfect start to the 2009 Digicel Home Series when seventh-ranked West Indies take on fifth-ranked England in the first of four Test matches at Sabina Park, beginning at 10 a.m.
The matchup will see West Indies batting stars captain Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan and fast bowler Jerome Taylor going up against England's best in Kevin Pieterson, Steve Harmison, all-rounder Andrew Flintoff and skipper Andrew Strauss.
Gayle was upbeat on the eve of the match as the skippers met the media at the venue.
"Our last Test series against New Zealand wasn't a bad series. We saw improvement. But England are a better, more determined and more talented team, and as such we will have to be on top of our game. It will determine in many ways what direction our cricket is heading," Gayle said.
The English are ready and raring to go.
"The guys are excited about it (the series). They want to get out there and put on a good performance," said Strauss, whose team is coming off a series defeat away to India.
Meanwhile, Donald Peters, CEO of the West Indies Cricket Board, said he was encouraged by the increase in ticket sales for the match over the last two days and said he hopes they will improve during the five-day match.