– Jayawardene eyeing first test series win in C/bean
The venue was the Essequibo Room of Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel and the occasion was the launch of the 2008 Digicel sponsored Home Series between the West Indies and Sri Lanka, and while the two captains Mahela Jayawardene and Chris Gayle were the main persons present it was Digicel’s head of sponsorship Kieran Foley, whose words had the most impact.
“We are very ecstatic that they are about to host our first Digicel Test match and the sponsorship of West Indies cricket is very important to us as we are working in association with the WICB,” said Foley.
He added that Digicel’s aim was to bring fans closer to the game of cricket as it was a part of the company’s efforts to continue steering passion into the game.
The word passion conjures up different meanings especially during the Easter season but Foley apparently knows that West Indian cricket fans are among the more passionate fans to be found in the cricket world.
And with the news that ticket sales are healthy for the first ever test match to be staged at the newest cricket venue in Guyana, the Nat-ional Stadium at Providence, Chief Executive Officer of the WICB, Dr Donald Peters
said that the WICB had been looking forward to the Digicel Home Series.
Peters said the WICB was pleased that the weather was holding up referring specifically to the inclement weather which has plagued Guyana where sporting activities are concerned.
He wished both team captains the best of luck but could not resist stating that he hoped the West Indies came out victorious in the two-test series.
Sri Lanka’s captain, Mahela Jayawardene told the media that they were searching for their maiden Test Series win in the Caribbean and that it would be a good challenge to overcome such a task.
“Our cricket away from home has been very difficult as we [have] taken long to adjust to the conditions of a foreign terrain but in our practice match we tried to spend as much time in the middle as possible to see what it is like in these conditions and I think we have adapted well so far and can cope with these conditions.”
He added that he was pleased with the performance of the young players in his team adding that he would like if they could step up and take responsibility in the tour in order to ease some of the pressure on the senior players.
Gayle said with the inclusion of the spinners Amit Jaggernauth and Sulieman Benn into the team he was expecting success.
“Spinners do not get the opportunity to play long series’ to boost their confidence,” he told the press conference.
Gayle said most times an all-rounder was the preferred option ahead of a specialist spinner and that was because the specialist spinners were not effective with the bat.
He reasoned that if a specialist spinner was found who was a competent batsman then he would obviously be first priority.
The West Indies skipper wished the opposition the best of luck and added that he was looking forward to a challenging series. (KB)
