Full speed ahead for the Windies - and for me

How wonderful it is to start getting back in the groove!

That’s how I felt on Monday and Tuesday of this week when I had 15-20 minutes of batting practice on both days at National Stadium in Providence in Guyana. I was so excited to get out there and hold a bat in my hands again. It was a significant step in the recovery process from my ankle injury and I enjoyed every second of it.

I focussed primarily on running on my right ankle, to see how it felt under some pressure, and on trying to time the ball properly. Overall, the signs were pretty good. I’m definitely making progress and doing much better. The fact that I can actually run is great and I’m looking forward to intensifying my training over the coming days.

Next week I’m planning to do some all-out sprinting to test my ankle even further and see how it responds to the kind of pressure that would be placed on it during matches. I feel a lot more confident about putting weight on it. I believe I can trust it now.

This latest development with my ankle could not have happened at a better time as the Guyana national team start training for the upcoming Carib Beer Cricket Series from next week and I should be able to participate and get match-fit in time for the regional tournament next month.

Of course, I will continue to have an eye on the West Indies fortunes overseas as they prepare to face the might of South Africa. They’ve just come off a convincing 3-1 win in the one-day series against Zimbabwe and I think that will boost their self-confidence versus the No. 2 team in international cricket.

We must be positive and optimistic going into every game, even Friday’s Makhaya Ntini Invitational benefit which is only 25-overs-a-side. Though it’s akin to what we in the Caribbean would call a “fete match”, I hope we seize the opportunity to make the most of it. We must play to win at all times.

It will be interesting to see how we fare against South Africa whose strength, I think, is in their batting. They are also a well-balanced outfit with all-round talents like Jacques Kallis in their ranks. We cannot be overawed though and it will be a matter of us sticking to our game plan and not wilting under pressure or getting dejected when things are not going our way. I think the pitches will be suited to good cricket – both batting and bowling – and there will be something in them for everyone.

As the West Indies prepare for this tough examination I want to wish them and our new coach, John Dyson, all the best. Though we in the Windies team have not done well in South Africa in the past, I do have fond memories of my experiences there. It might surprise fans to learn that my best memory is the World Cup match in 2003 which we lost to Sri Lanka, in which I got struck on my head.

The reason I remember that occasion is because of the ovation which I received from spectators when I returned to bat after being injured. It was superb and I’ve never forgotten it. The people there were really nice and the facilities were excellent for cricket.

Let’s hope this squad of West Indian players will return home with their own good memories of South Africa – on and off the field – when they come back to the Caribbean in February.