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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday August 30, 2014
Sir Richie anticipating Windies domination in Test series
BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC) – West Indies team manager Sir Richie Richardson has backed the regional side to use the momentum from the successful one-day series and also dominate Bangladesh in the upcoming Test series. The hosts swept the three-match one-day series convincingly and will now turn their attention to the longer format, with matches scheduled for Arnos Vale in St Vincent and the Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia. Sir Richie said the team now needed to make the transition from the limited overs format but he was confident they could take the momentum gained into the Test series. “ A d i ff e r e n t f o r m a t means a different form of application. The wicket in St Vincent is usually one that assists spin bowlers and Bangladesh depends heavily on spin,” the former West Indies captain said. “We have very good spin bowlers too and are used to the conditions, so I would like to think that we are
favourites. What we’ve got to do is play positive cricket; we’ve got to back ourselves. They will be a little bit demoralised so we’ve got to capitalise on that. “As long as we play to our strengths, apply ourselves and look to bat long, put the ball in the right areas and take all our catches, I think we will beat them.” Coming off a poor series against New Zealand earlier this year, West Indies carved out a three-wicket win in the first ODI at the Grenada National Stadium before following up with an emphatic 177-run victory at the same venue. In the final game at Warner Park here, West Indies trounced the Bangladeshis by 91 runs to complete a clean sweep. The Windies missed out on the chance to extend their winning streak when the oneoff Twenty20 International was rained out after just 28 balls on Wednesday night here but Sir Richie said that result would have no impact on the side going forward. “Certainly, to have beaten
West Indies celebrate the capture of the one-day series against Bangladesh. (Photo courtesy WICB Media) any international team is a commendable achievement and I have to say to Dwayne Bravo and the boys: ‘very well played.’ I thought we executed well in all areas, we started slowly in the first
match but came really good in the last two and completely clean-swept Bangladesh,” he pointed out. “The important thing is for us to continue to play the way we’ve been playing
and look to improve in every single game. It’s unfortunate what happened here in St Kitts during the only T20 match. “It was a freak storm … but from the way we were
looking I believed we would have won that match so I’m feeling very pleased.” The first Test bowls off September 5 with the second match scheduled to start September 13.
No mad rush to find Windies head coach, says Muirhead BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – No decision has been made on who will fill the vacant post of West Indies head coach and there will be no mad rush to find a candidate, West Indies Cricket Board chief executive Michael Muirhead has said. Media reports in recent weeks have indicated that Mickey Arthur was a virtual shoo-in but Muirhead said while “informal” discussions had been held with the South African, the WICB were yet to even start the interview process. “There is absolutely no truth to that talk around the region that Mickey Arthur will be hired as the next coach,” Muirhead told the Nation Newspaper here. “We did speak to him and many other coaches recently because it was convenient to do so, but to say he will be the next coach is not true. We don’t know yet who will be the next coach.” He added: “The talks with Arthur were very, very informal. No official interviews for the position have even started.” The post of West Indies coach was made vacant when Barbadian Ottis Gibson was axed two weeks ago, just prior to the start of the One-Day
Muirhead stressed. “We are getting a feel for the market out there before we make a decision. If we do find who we feel is the right
person and we find him before the start of the World Cup, then so be it. But we certainly don’t plan to shortchange ourselves in finding a
new coach. “We feel we can also find the right person after the World Cup if that is necessary.”
Kings and Raiders in action tonight WICB chief executive Michael Muirhead. International series against Bangladesh in Grenada. Gibson spent just over four years in charge of the regional team, in which time he oversaw their capture of the 2012 Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka. His appointment followed those of Australians Bennett King and John Dyson but Muirhead said the WICB would not be limiting itself to regional applicants only. “The search continues. We have spoken to several coaches. Some of them are from the region and some of them are from outside. The interest in the position has been very high,” the Jamaican indicated. “We don’t plan to rush this
process. We will go through each interview at our own pace and no one will be given preferential treatment. The response has been good so far.” Significantly, West Indies are without a coach ahead of their Test and one-day tour of India starting in October, and the Cricket World Cup which bowls off in Australia and New Zealand next February. However, Muirhead said the WICB would not allow itself to be pressured into a deadline, because of the pending tournaments. “That (World Cup) would be considered a nice cut-off time to have a coach by, but we don’t plan to rush and get a new coach just to say we have a coach for the World Cup,”
TOP seed Kings are up against the Blueberry Hill outfit this evening in game one of the Victory Valley Royals 20th Anniversary Open Knockout basketball tournament, which is being played at the Mackenzie Sports Club Hard Court. Kings who regained the top billing from Amelia’s Ward Jets after starting the year in second position will seek to assert themselves in this tournament after not reaching the final four in the National Club championship. The Kings will look to their experienced lineup, led by former national player Abdulla Hamid and Steve Neils (Jr.), Omally Sampson and Marvin Hartman against an unknown opponent who
Dwayne Roberts should field players from the Blueberry Hill Christianburg communities. In the second game Retrieve Raiders, rated number two after losing in the National Club championship final and currently in the number four position
in Linden, will play without national player Dwayne ‘Brown Sugar’ Roberts but are likely to be favoured against Half Mile Bulls in the game set for 21.00hrs. Raiders will look to players like Dwight McKinnon, Geoffrey La Rose, and Omar Sam to push them past this Bulls team. The Bulls will be without Michael Turner who is now with Pacesetters but others like young junior nationals Terron Welch and Travin Dryden and the experienced Shane Lewis should be enough to set the stage for a good game. The winners from tonight and last night’s opening matches are set for semifinals clash next Friday at the same venue.