June 30, 2020, 8:38 a.m.
Nkrumah Bonner, in enjoying his first Test tour with the West Indies and is excited looking forward to the start of the series against England. The middle-order batsman from Jamaica was speaking on Monday after the opening day of the four-day warm-up match was abandoned due to wet weather.
Bonner, 31, believes the preparations have been going very well since the squad arrived in Manchester three weeks ago. After the end of the warm-up fixture they will travel to Southampton for the first Test at the Ageas Bowl, starting July 8.
“I played two T20s back in 2011 and 2012, so I have a little bit of a feel for what it’s like at the international level. My first T20 was here in England at the Oval, back when Daren Sammy was captain, so that’s a while ago, bit I know the English conditions and I know to be successful here you have to adapt quickly,” he said. “One of the keys to batting is that you have to play the ball late, it different to what you get back home in the Caribbean.”
Bonner acknowledged that the batting will be under scrutiny when the West Indies defend the Wisden Trophy in the three Tests, but is confident they will be able to put up good scores, as they did when they won on home turf last year.
“There is great camaraderie in the camp. There is great unity and we know the goal ahead of us is to win back the Wisden Trophy. Well, over the past year the batting has been struggling, the bowling has been holding up its end of it, I think with the batting if we can score the runs and put it on the board that would give us the best chance of coming out successful on this tour,” he said.
-CWI