First strike for WI newcomers
The West Indies have thrown their new players into the deep end for their first four-day match oftheir Australian tour against Western Australia, starting at the WACA ground in Perth today
Tony Cozier
09-Nov-2000
The West Indies have thrown their new players into the deep end for
their first four-day match oftheir Australian tour against Western
Australia, starting at the WACA ground in Perth today.
Star players Brian Lara and Courtney Walsh have been omitted, leaving
batsmen Darren Ganga, Wavell Hinds and Ramnaresh Sarwan and fast
bowlers Marlon Black, Merv Dillon, Kerry Jeremy and Colin Stuart
largely on their own in their first major outing in Australia against
strong opposition that includes seven players with Test experience.
Manager Ricky Skerritt said the aim was to give the young players the
chance to perform as early as possible, adding that it was always
intended that Lara would play in only one of the two four-day matches
that precede the first Test in Brisbane November 23-27.
Lara stroked a run-a-ball 108 against the ACB Chairman's XI in the
relaxed traditional tour opener in the Perth suburb of Lilac Hill on
Tuesday and said afterwards he looked forward to playing a longer
innings against Western Australia.
He will now have to wait until the match against Victoria at the
Melbourne Cricket Ground November 17-20 for his next significant
innings.
The 38-year-old Walsh had originally been pencilled in for this match
but Test cricket's highest wicket-taker arrived for his fifth
Australian tour Tuesday without his gear that was inadvertantly leftin
London by the airline. He was reluctant to turn out without his
special bowling boots.
In his absence, Dillon is the only one in the pace quartet with Test
experience and he had the last of his eight Tests against Australia in
Port-of-Spain in March, 1999.
Black, Jeremy and Stuart are all on their first tours as the selectors
continue their hunt for replacements for Walsh and the recentlyretired Curtly Ambrose.
The match will be a stern examination for the West Indian newcomers.
Western Australia - now known as the "Western Warriors" - include
current Australian Test players, batsmen Justin Langer and Damien
Martyn and wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist, along with captain Tom Moody,
left-arm spinner Brad Hogg and fast bowlers Brendon Julian and Matthew
Nicholson who have all previously played Test cricket.