CHELMSFORD, England (CMC):

West Indies have remained upbeat ahead of their preparation for the upcoming Test series even though rain ruined the final day of their three-day tour match against Essex yesterday.

Heavy rain on Sunday night continued into yesterday, forcing umpires David Millns and Steve O'Shaughnessy to abandon the day's play at 1:30 p.m. without a ball being bowled at County Ground in the East Midlands.

The washout denied the tourists a chance to atone for their poor first-innings showing when they were dismissed for 146, but coach John Dyson said their preparation remained on course for the first Test which bowls off next week Wednesday.

"Ideally, we would have liked another hit (second innings) but we can't control the weather. We just have to move on to the next match at Derby and make the most of that opportunity," Dyson pointed out.

One exception

"In this game, we did not bat very well and the guys know that. The one exception was Shiv (Shivnarine Chanderpaul) and he will always be Shiv ... he just bats and bats and that will always be his style.

"We are not down at all. We know what we have to do and we are confident of doing well."

Chanderpaul hit a resolute unbeaten 66 not out off 107 to notch the 87th half-century of his first-class career, but only three other batsmen made it into double figures with the highest being 14 by Brendan Nash.

The strong point for West Indies was the bowling of their reserves as they limited Essex to 263 in their first innings. They were 175 for three in their second innings overnight.

"The bowlers have all bowled some good spells and it is a matter of being consistent," Dyson pointed out.

"The guys will be looking to tune up with the prospect of playing in the Test matches, so we will be expecting some good performances in Derby."