Hooper sets specific goals for his young batsmen

Carl Hooper has set his young batsmen a specific goal for the second and final Test against Zimbabwe starting here today.

What I'd like to see is Daren Ganga, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Marlon Samuels go on to score their first Test hundreds, the West Indies captain said on the eve of what he termed a big game for us, a very big game.

The West Indies lead the short series 1-0 after their crushing, fourday victory by an innings and 176 runs in Bulawayo last weekend when Chris Gayle, the tall, 21-year-old left-handed opener, notched his maiden hundred in his tenth Test, a superlative 175.

Hooper himself amassed 149, his first hundred as captain and his tenth overall, but Gayle's right-handed partner, 22-year-old Ganga, fell 11 short and the 20-year-olds Sarwan, with 58, and Samuels, 42, were out to loose strokes.

I was disappointed none of them went on to get a hundred in Bulawayo, but this is another ideal opportunity, he noted. It looks a good wicket and, hopefully, the conditions will be good for batting.

Ganga's 89 was his highest score in his nine Test. Sarwan hasn't again passed his unbeaten 84 against Pakistan in Barbados last year in the first of his 12 Tests nor Samuels his unbeaten 60 against Australia in Melbourne last December in the second of his eight Tests.