Grenadian leg-spinner Rawl Lewis has replaced Jimmy Adams as captain of
West Indies `A' for the second Test of their two-match cricket series against
India `A' team at Bourda on Tuesday.
Adams and opening batsman Daren Ganga, who played in the drawn first
four-day match in Trinidad and Tobago, have been omitted as they flew out
last night with the West Indies senior team for the tour of New Zealand.
The squad has been reduced by one to 13 players with prolific 16-year-old
Guyanese batsman Narsingh Deonarine joining the team.
Deonarine, who has been selected on the regional team which will contest the
Youth World Cup in Sri Lanka in January, scored two centuries in the
three-day competition during this year's NorTel youth tournament in Barbados
and also hit another century in the One-Day competition.
Adams said he was pleased with his young team's performance in the first
game.
"I can't really fault the effort that the lads put in," said the 31-year-old Adams.
"Their attitude looked really good before we started and they kept that attitude
right through to the end, even coming down to the last two sessions where a
draw was always favoured."
The Indians, resuming on 54 for one, batted throughout the fourth and final day
Monday to end on 283 for six in their second innings. West Indies "A" gained a
first innings lead of 63 after scoring 289 in reply to India's 226.
"I had fast bowlers running in. I had fielders diving around and the level of
enthusiasm was really, really something," Adams added. "It made my job as
captain very easy."
Adams made particular note of the fast bowling trio of Dwight Mais, Goldwyn
Prince and Nixon McLean.
"For me, the fast bowlers running in on that wicket over after over and keeping
pressure on what I think is a decent young Indian batting line-up was a plus,"
Adams said.
He also picked out 18-year-old Ryan Hinds, Sylvester Joseph and Lewis, who
all hit half-centuries, for praise.
"As a coach, a manager or a selector, what you're asking yourself is, `Have we
got kids who can adapt a little bit?'" Adams said. "I think these young men
showed that they were up to it."
The second and final `A' team Test will be followed by three One-Day
matches. Before that, the Indians play a three-day match against Guyana
beginning today.