CARDIFF, Wales, CMC – Following a successful campaign in Bangladesh last month, West Indies A will launch their tour of England and Ireland today when they clash with English county Glamorgan in a three-day first class match.
The fixture, which will be played at the Welsh county’s SWALEC Stadium, will be the only warm-up game for the Caribbean side before they face India A in two back-to-back four-day “Tests” next week.
Coach Hendy Springer said his charges were looking forward to making another big impression, and as usual were focused on adapting quickly to the conditions.
“We did some really good things in the home series against Zimbabwe in April and we also did some very good things in the last month while we are in Bangladesh,” Springer said ahead of an afternoon training session at the SWALEC Stadium.
“It was very hot and humid in Bangladesh and it is significantly cooler here in England.
“It’s a big contrast in the weather from extreme hot, but the game is still cricket so we know we have to focus on our skills and constantly look to make adjustments and improvements.”
West Indies A performed outstandingly on the tour of Bangladesh, beating the hosts 1-0 in the unofficial two-Test series while playing unbeaten to reach the final of the Tri-Nation Limited Overs series which involved South Africa A.
They went down to the young Proteas in a high-scoring final in Dhaka but will be hoping to continue that excellent form in the coming weeks.
Springer said there were other adjustments the squad needed to make if they were to compete strongly.
“We also have to make the mental and physical adjustment. In the nets the players have made the adjustment, and we anticipate the ball will be doing a lot more here than it did in Bangladesh,” the former Barbados off-spinner said.
“At the moment we are quite comfortable and eagerly looking forward to the tour-opener against Glamorgan.”
The Windies side has had a steady build-up to the Glamorgan game, spending several days in Derby training before moving on to Cardiff.
They will face India A in the first “Test” starting next Thursday in Grace Road before playing the second match in Croydon four days later.
The Devon Smith-led unit will head to Ireland for two one-dayers against the national side on June 23 and June 25 before clashing with India A and England Lions – the hosts’ A side – in a Tri-Nation Limited Overs series from June 28 to July 8.
SQUADS: GLAMORGAN – Tom Maynard (captain), Gareth Rees, Will Bragg, Ben Wright, Mike Powell, Nick James, David Brown, Robert Croft, Adam Shantry, Will Owen, Chris Ashling, Huw Waters, David Harrison.
WEST INDIES A – Devon Smith (captain), Omar Phillips, Justin Guillen, Kraigg Brathwaite, Andre Fletcher, Assad Fudadin, Kirk Edwards, Chadwick Walton, Imran Khan, Lionel Baker, Odean Brown, Gavin Tonge.
