GROS ISLET, Saint Lucia – West Indies assistant coach Vasbert Drakes spoke to members of the media as the home side continued preparations for the third and final Test of the Wisden Trophy Series.
West Indies lead the three-match rubber 2-0 – following victories by 381 runs in Barbados and by 10 wickets in Antigua. The match will be played at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground from Saturday, February 9 to Wednesday, February 13. First ball daily is 10am (9am Jamaica Time/2pm GMT).
Audio for download from this media interaction: https://we.tl/t-Y7LfvQNQHn
Catch highlights on www.windiescricket.com – brought to you by Suzuki
Drakes, a former West Indies allrounder, praised the young team for the tremendous showing over the last two weeks and said he expects another good showing in the final contest.
“The sky is the limit for this side as they continue to grow. The guys understand the legacy of West Indies cricket and they want to continue to inspire the next generation of cricketers to play the game. The guys are playing really good cricket. I’m really proud as a former West Indies cricketer. All kudos to the players,” Drakes said.
“We are all really looking forward to playing in St Lucia. It reminds me of the wickets that were prepared for us, the West Indians, in the 1970s and ’80s. That’s the environment we are trying to create. The objective is to make sure we have pace. Kemar Roach has really started to mature as a bowler and Shannon Gabriel has the X-factor for us. I’m really excited to be part of this squad where we continue to put fear in opposition hearts.”
He added: “I wouldn’t use the words so strong to say intimidate with pace but when you have pace, as someone who played the game as a fast bowler, it gives you a more options of being able outfox the batters. At the moment that’s what we have in our favour so we are re going to utilise it to our advantage on the cricket field.”
MATCH SCHEDULE
1st Test: Kensington Oval – Jan 23-27
RESULT: WINDIES won by 381 runs
2nd Test: Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground – Jan 31 to Feb 4
RESULT: WINDIES won by 10 wickets
3rd Test: Daren Sammy Cricket Ground – Feb 9-13
-CWI
