Lara seeks commitment from his batsmen

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Lara seeks commitment from his batsmen

Basseterre (St Kitts), June 21 (IANS) West Indies captain Brian Lara Wednesday sought commitment from his batsmen saying he wanted them to pile up huge scores.

About half-an-hour after Lara finished talking to newsmen around noon, rain swept across the Warner Park Stadium where the third Test against India gets going Thursday.

Andy Atkinson, the ICC pitch consultant helping ready the wicket for the first-ever Test to be played here, hurriedly supervised the covering of the pitch which looked very different from what it did on Tuesday, being shorn of all grass practically.

The West Indies had finished their training session but the Indians were midway through theirs when it began raining and were forced to take shelter under a small tent next to the nets, which are situated just behind the player's changing rooms. The rain eased after about 15 minutes but that was the end of practice for the day.

It is the rainy season here in St Kitts and showers are expected daily. The weather forecast for the next five days is scattered rain. If the experience of the last few days is anything, play will be interrupted daily, maybe once or twice, but the stoppages will not be for long.

The weather, though, was the last thing on Lara's mind as he spoke to the press.

There was this issue of the West Indian players' contracts with their board which loomed large as the players association seemed to be threatening 'industrial action.'

Then, the fact that he had got neither the 'fast' bowler he wanted nor the 'wicket' he would have liked. His main all-rounder, Dwayne Bravo, was indisposed and missed training, and his main batsmen had all batted in the last two Tests as if they too were on the sick list.

Little wonder there was a defensive air around him as he spoke. He dismissed the contracts issue very gently, saying that he wasn't the spokesman for the players' union. He denied that there was uneasiness among the team members.

'I don't sense any agitation among the boys,' he said. 'There is a Test match starting tomorrow and the boys are focusing on that.'

About team selection Lara said that it was unfortunate that the selectors didn't see things the same way as he did. He said with a gesture of resignation: 'We've got to play with what we've got.'

Regarding the wicket, Lara said: 'I don't think there's going to be any trouble for the batters... it's a bit harder and got more bounce than in St. Lucia but there won't be much sidewise movement. Both fast bowlers and spinners will have to work hard on this wicket.'

Bravo, he said, was resting at the team hotel, down with a virus but was hopeful that we would be fit for the Test.

Lara's major worry, however, was the form of his key batsmen and it was obvious by the way he dwelt on the issue and suffixing them with hopeful statements:

'We seem to be putting ourselves under pressure by not getting big totals. We hope we can turn the tables.

'There has to be a situation where (Ramnaresh) Sarwan, Chris Gayle and myself have to get big totals. We have to think team, got to go on and do the entire job. We've spoken about it and it's time for the guys to stand up and be counted.

'You can expect something different in this Test match,' Lara concluded

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Lara seeks commitment from his batsmen