NORTH SOUND, Antigua, CMC – New Test captain Kaigg Brathwaite has warned his side that Sri Lanka will not be easy pushovers in the upcoming two-match series, despite their thrashing in the preceding white ball series.
Speaking on the eve of the first Test here yesterday, Brathwaite said it was critical West Indies approached the series professionally and with the right attitude, especially since he expected Sri Lanka to provide stiff opposition.
“One of the first things I stressed on is … the one-day series is finished and the T20 series is finished,” Brathwaite pointed out.
“We can’t just underestimate [Sri Lanka] and think we’re just going to roll over [them] because they lost both series. It’s Test cricket and we have to go out there and fight.
“What is gone is gone. We have to go out there with the right attitude and obviously with a lot of discipline and the results will take care of themselves. I think the small processes, once we go through them as a team, we can’t [go wrong].”
He continued: “One thing I am stressing on is that we can’t underestimate them and think because they were beaten in the one-day series, we’ll just walk over them. We’ve got to be disciplined and have the right attitude.”
Sri Lanka lost the three-match Twenty20 series, 2-1, before suffering a 3-0 whitewash in the subsequently One-Day International series.
And even in the two-day President’s XI tour match, the Sri Lankans turned in a lacklustre performance especially in their batting and never really appeared threatening. However, the touring side boast quality batsmen in captain Dimuth Karunaratne who has scored 10 Tests hundreds and averages nearly 37, along with veteran Dinesh Chandimal who averages 40 and has notched 11 hundreds, and opener Lahiru Thirimanne and Dhananjaya de Silva.
In the experienced seamer Suranga Lakmal, Sri Lanka also boasts a dangerous strike bowler and leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga and left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya could prove to be threats.
“It’s Test cricket so we won’t be taking them for granted. I think they have some experienced batsmen who have played a number of Tests and have a number of Test hundreds, and they have an experienced bowler in Lakmal who has played a good set of Test cricket.” Brathwaite outlined.
“I think they will come and fight because Sri Lankan teams always tend to fight so we won’t be taking them for granted.”
While West Indies won the preceding white-ball series, their batsmen struggled badly against Sri Lanka’s spinners, with leg-spinner Akila Dananjaya even claiming a hat-trick.
While Dananjaya is not a part of the Test squad, Hasaranga will be expected to feature along with Embuldeniya who has already taken 45 wickets from nine Tests.
Brathwaite said the batting group had prepared properly and would be focussed on executing their plans.
“The main thing is that we’re not thinking we won’t get spin here but the guys are looking forward to the challenge,” he said.
“They have some quality spinners but we have plans to go about each bowler and we’re going to trust those plans 100 per cent.”
