FLORENCE HALL, Jamaica, CMC – Sunil Ambris said he was preparing hard to follow up with a second hundred when West Indies “A” face Sri Lanka “A” in the second “Test”, starting tomorrow at the Trelawny Multiplex.
The Windies “A” batsman hit his fourth first-class hundred of 106 to lead the hosts to 364 for eight declared in their first innings, paving the way for an innings-and-13-run victory in the weather-affected first “Test” which ended last Saturday at the same venue.
“It was a good innings, but it was not my best first-class hundred,” said Ambris. “It was good in the context of the game. I was able to score at a good clip and most of the other batsmen in the match were not able to accomplish the same thing and that helped to set the tone for our solid first-innings total.
“I was just being myself. I was just trying to be positive and put away the bad balls. Try to play each ball on merit and score in the right areas. There were times when I had to be patient and grind hard, and there were times when I was scoring easily and freely.”
Ambris said the knock increased the level of confidence he had in his game and he will be looking to epitomise consistency with another solid knock over the weekend.
“I am always a confident person, but scoring a hundred in the first ‘Test’ could only boost my confidence more going into the next ‘Test’,” he said. “I will just try to stay positive, respect the good bowling and put away the bad balls.
“I take practice very seriously. I do a lot leading up to games. I practice very hard so it becomes easier for me when I get into the game. I put in a lot of effort and hit a lot of balls, and I plan do the same for the next game.”
On the conditions and the challenge of facing up to the Sri Lanka “A” spin attack, Ambris said: “It was a good cricket pitch. There was something there for the bowlers, and you could bat comfortably on it and trust the bounce, so you could easily put away the bad balls. Once you were prepared to work hard for success, you could achieve it on this surface.
“Facing up to their spinners was not something that was too hard. I am accustomed playing spin bowling in our regional competitions. The quality is not too much different. We have good quality spinners in the Caribbean. The key was being patient.”
Ambris said there was motivation for every player to want to give of their best in the second “Test”, since Windies “A” lead the three-match series 1-0 and will be looking to wrap up a series victory with a match to spare.
“We stuck to the task very well and we played as a team in the first ‘Test’,” he said. “The guys were very focused all the way through and it was a total team effort. We just need do the same thing in this game, as we did in the previous match.
“We just need to continue to stick to the game plan. Play as a team. Everybody plays the role that they have been given. Do what they know they have to do and have been doing throughout their careers and I think we will be good.
“To win the series, it would be good for all of us. I have seen articles where the selectors have indicated there are spots in the Test side up for grabs, so if the guys do well, it will be good not only for us as a collective group of players, but also individually going forward.”
