Shillingford says regional One-dayers was useful match practice

ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – Some may quibble about its adequacy, but Shane Shillingford felt the WICB Regional One-day competition offered him valuable match practice ahead of the West Indies’ tour of Sri Lanka next month.

The West Indies off-spinner has been included in the West Indies side that will visit the south Asian nation, where they will play three Tests, five One-day Internationals, and one Twenty20 International.

“When I came back home after the South Africa [home] series, what I did basically was engage in a lot of net sessions,” he said.

“I really needed some time on the field, and that tournament provided just that for me. It did me really good, and I must say that I enjoyed it a lot.”

He said: “This will be my first tour with the West Indies team. I however, have had exposure to similar climate and conditions when I toured Bangladesh with the A-Team, so I should be able to adjust nicely.

“I just want to go out there and continue to perform well and have fun in my game.”

The 27-year-old Shillingford made his international debut for West Indies against South Africa earlier this year.

He took nine wickets in three Tests, and generally made life difficult for the Proteas’ batting. He will be looking to take continue on this trajectory in the series against the Sri Lankans.

“I am looking at this tour as a good opportunity for me to [fortify] my position on the West Indies team,” he said.

“It is going to be tough because there are many top class batsmen in Sri Lanka, so I will just stick to the plan, and do what I know how to do best.”