Monsoon rains disrupt West Indian preparations

The second day of the West Indies first warm-up game in Sri Lanka was completely washed out after heavy rains in Colombo on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Frustrated players waited throughout the morning, before the umpires officially called off play at 2pm. Worryingly, the monsoon rains were so heavy that the outfield is now saturated. Further rains before the start of play could well force the abandonment of the match.

This is not good news for the West Indies. The batsmen had a good workout on Saturday, but the bowlers will be itching to acclimitise to the slow pitches and steamy climate.

They are only two warm-up matches scheduled before the first Test at Galle on 13 November; this match in Colombo against Sri Lanka A, and another three-day game down south in the coastal town of Matara on 8-10 November.

Traditionally, November and early December is a monsoon period in Sri Lanka, so the scheduling of the tour at this time was always a calculated risk.

West Indies last tour of Sri Lanka in 1993 was also marred by frequent interruptions because of the weather. The one-off Test match, controversially played in Moratuwa, was eventually abandoned because of a waterlogged outfield.