'I want to help take West Indian cricket forward'

At only 24, Ramnaresh Sarwan is already West Indies' vice-captain and a senior member of the side. Averaging over 40 from 46 Tests, Sarwan had a lean time in the series against England in the Caribbean, but returned with a bang to score 261 not out against Bangladesh. Here, he talks to Freddie Auld about the current tour of England and the state of West Indian cricket:

How are you enjoying the tour of England?
It's been good so far. The weather has been a bit different to home, and we'll need to acclimatise to the different conditions, but we're trying to enjoy it as much as possible. We had a good win against England in the first NatWest game, and we played well. It was good preparation and we're looking forward to the rest of the tour.

This is your second tour of England - what were your memories of your first tour here in 2000?
I remember when we were bowled out for 61 at Headingley. I'll never forget that match, it was disappointing and I'll remember it for the rest of my life. I did OK in both innings, but my girlfriend passed away during the match. I did quite well in the series, considering I didn't have much experience, but was still disappointed we didn't win it.

How do you see the England Test series going?
It will be competitive and a challenge. No-one can deny that England are playing well at the moment, but we're still hurting from the series in the Caribbean. England hadn't won there for 30-odd years, and losing that series meant a lot to us. But that's behind us now, and this is a great opportunity. I'm confident this young team can go from strength to strength.

What do you think went wrong in that series?
We batted badly. There are no excuses, myself, Shiv [Chanderpaul] and Chris [Gayle] didn't make scores, and England stuck to their game plan. Steve Harmison was a big factor, that was the first time I had faced him, and I'm looking forward to the challenge this time. But our bowlers did well as well, especially young Tino Best and Fidel Edwards, and they should do well over here.

During that series, there were reports of an unhappy camp, culminating in Ricky Skerritt, the team manager, resigning ...
It wasn't a case of the team being unhappy. Ricky tried his best to make the players as comfortable as possible, and his departure was between him and the cricket board, nothing to do to us. We have to move forward from that now.

There were also reports you got into trouble when you were spotted in the Mound Stand after the first Test at Sabina Park.
I didn't get into trouble, I wasn't there partying. Myself and Chris [Gayle] went over to talk to Wavell Hinds after the game. We were drinking bottles of water, and were just relaxing and listening to the music. There was no trouble, we even wrote letters of apology to the board just to clear things up.

It must have been a relief to have beaten Bangladesh recently?
Yes, it was a relief. They played very well in the first Test, but I was pleased to contribute to our win in the second game. My 261 not out was a well-paced innings, and it was good to score it considering the pressure we were under and that Brian [Lara] said he would resign if we lost.

How did the team react when Lara threatened to call it a day as captain?
I can't speak for the rest of the team, but I was disappointed, to be honest. I thought it was unnecessary and uncalled for. We didn't find out personally, but after the press conference. But Brian is his own man and he makes his own decisions.

Does being one of the senior players and vice-captain put extra pressure on you?
Not really, I enjoy it. I'm still quite young myself, but have just played more Tests than the others. I like to share my experience, but if I put too much pressure on myself that's when I get into trouble and don't enjoy it as much.

Would you like to take on the captaincy fulltime in the future?
To captain West Indies would be a dream come true. But I'm in no hurry, it will happen when the time is right. I've captained the side a few times already, and I've had the full support of my team-mates. I'm the vice-captain now, so I hope it will be given to me at some stage.

How would you describe the current state of West Indian cricket?
We've not been playing well recently and we can't hide from that. The facilities in the Caribbean need improving, and there needs to be more work on the young first-class players so they are ready mentally and physically and gain experience before they come into the Tests. The set-up needs to get better - we've relied on natural talent before, but we can't carry on doing that. We're not short of talent, but we need to get the mental side of things stronger.

It can't help having former players in the media talk the current team down?
Not really, we ignore the press as much as possible. As soon as they say something negative, we just try and ignore it.

What are you future aims?
I want to contribute in helping West Indian cricket move forward. I see myself as a big part of the future. I've played for about four-and-a-half years now and played nearly 50 Tests, and if God gives me the health to carry on, then I can help them.

Would you like to play county cricket?
I would love to if I got the opportunity, but I haven't received any offers yet.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?
My 105 against Australia last year. It was a record-breaking run-chase, and I contributed to our memorable win. My confrontation with Glenn McGrath helped me too, it pumped me up. We had a drink after the game, there was nothing personal. We're friends again.

What do you do away from cricket to relax?
I love jet-skiing and I also play table-tennis and squash. I also love going on the internet and chatting to my friends.

Have you been watching Euro 2004 at all since you've been over here?
Yes, of course. I was a bit disappointed that England lost, but I'm supporting Portugal because of [Christiano] Ronaldo, they're my team. I used to support Manchester United, but now I like Real Madrid, because of the other Ronaldo.