This series is a new start – Sammy

Colombo, Sri Lanka – The West Indies will open their three match One Day International Series against Sri Lanka on Monday at the Sinhalese Sports Club. The series will form the main preparation for both teams ahead of the International Cricket Council’s Cricket World Cup 2011.

After Sunday’s training session, Windies skipper Darren Sammy outlined the side’s plans for the series opener as well as the entire series. He noted that the aim was to get off to a winning start and set the tone for the three-match rubber.

First ball: Monday 9.30 am (12 midnight Eastern Caribbean Time/11 pm Sunday Jamaica Time).

“This series is a new start for us. It would mean everything to the team to get off to a winning start against the Sri Lanka in their own backyard. There is all to play for and we will take the field confident that we can win. A victory tomorrow (Monday) would set the tone for the series and would also give us a boost ahead of the World Cup,” Sammy told local journalists.

“The pitch we will be playing on looks similar to the one we played on against the President’s XI when we were here for the Test Series last November. It is green but back then it did not do much so we will play accordingly. We will be looking to play well in all three disciplines. The Sri Lankans play really good cricket, especially at home, and we have to be at our best.”

Speaking about the return of Ramnaresh Sarwan, the Guyanese right hander, Sammy, who will captain the side in an ODI series for the first time, said: “We are happy to have Ramnaresh back in the squad for this series and for the World Cup. It is a massive boost for the team. He’s an outstanding batsman and a very knowledgeable and experienced cricketer at the international level.”

“We all know the calibre of player he is and he will add a lot of quality to our batting line-up. I know he will give his best for the team and put his best foot forward. We have a very good team spirit in the camp and Sarwan has fitted in well on his return.

“Looking at the make-up of our squad we have a number of allrounders. It is good to have players who can make match-winning contributions in more than one department. We all have to go out and play according to the team plan and stick to team goals,” the captain lamented.

Windies squad: Darren Sammy (captain), Chris Gayle,  Adrian Barath, Devon Smith, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Shiv Chanderpaul, Kieron Pollard, Carlton Baugh, Sulieman Benn, Nikita Miller, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell.

TOUR SCHEDULE

West Indies in Sri Lanka

Jan 31 – 1st ODI at SSC, Colombo

Feb 3 – 2nd ODI at SSC, Colombo

Feb 6 – 3rd ODI at SSC, Colombo

West Indies World Cup Warm Up matches

Feb 12 – v Kenya at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Feb 16 – v Sri Lanka at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

West Indies World Cup Group B matches

Feb 24 – v South Africa (New Delhi)

Feb 28 – v Netherlands (New Delhi)

Mar 4 – v Bangladesh (Dhaka)

Mar 11 – v Ireland (Mohali)

Mar 17 – v England (Chennai)

Mar 20 – v India (Chennai)