SOUTHAMPTON, England, CMC – Team manager Rawl Lewis believes West Indies are mentally and physically prepared for the challenging three-Test series against England bowling off here Wednesday.
The Caribbean side arrived here Friday on the south coast following nearly a month’s training at Old Trafford in Manchester, and will put the finishing touches on their preparation over the next few days.
“The camp aspect of the tour went really well,” Lewis said.
“The boys are in good spirits, we have no injuries to report so we’re quite keen to get the ball rolling because we had quite an intense preparation period at Old Trafford in Manchester where everyone gave 100 per cent.
“The accommodation is attached to the stadium so you actually get up every day and there are gym facilities, indoor nets, outdoor nets, middle practice.
“[We had] the entire field and hotel to ourselves so we developed a family, a unity within the group and I would tell from the bus ride to Southampton that everyone is in high spirits.”
The three Tests will mark cricket’s first-ever “bio-secure” series, played without fans at the Ageas Bowl and Old Trafford, with strict social distancing and sanitisation protocols enforced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following the outbreak earlier this year, cricket across the globe ceased in March, and the upcoming series will be the first taste of action in international competitive cricket since.
With West Indies isolated from the public to mitigate against the threat of the virus, Lewis said the first stage of the tour had been rolled out flawlessly.
“We are very happy and excited to be the first team to actually play a Test series behind closed doors [during COVID-19],” he said.
“All the preparation and planning that went into this series has been well executed so far. We are quite comfortable here.”
West Indies are the current holders of the Wisden Trophy following their convincing 2-1 victory in the three-Test series in the Caribbean last year.
However, they have not captured a series on English soil in 32 years and have won just one Test in 16 outings here over the last 16 years.
Lewis, who played five Tests and 28 One-Day Internationals between 1997 and 2009, urged the Caribbean fans to give their unwavering support to the team.
“We had our first team meeting on arrival in Southampton and I could tell that both support staff and players are ready,” he said.
“We’re asking the people of the Caribbean to rally around us and hopefully we can defend our trophy and put a smile on the faces of the people of the Caribbean.”
The first Test bowls off at 11 am (6 am Eastern Caribbean time).
