Test performance should inspire WI - Coach

An encouraging performance in the Tests in Australia last year should inspire West Indies to challenge Ricky Ponting's team in the upcoming five-match ODI series, David Williams, the interim coach, has said. West Indies were beaten convincingly in the first Test in Brisbane, but fought back to draw the second in Adelaide before losing by a narrow margin of 35 runs in Perth.

West Indies, however, will be touring for the one-dayers with a depleted squad. Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan are the two big names out due to injury; Adrian Barath, Darren Bravo, fast bowlers Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards and spinner Sulieman Benn are also missing.

"We are going there with a very positive attitude when we consider what transpired in the Test series. We have a very good squad, apart from losing a couple of our very senior players," Williams told reporters before his team's departure. "I think we need to play as a team. Every single member got to pull their weight in order for us to beat this Australia side.

"When you look at the squad, you got a lot of potential there, but I think we got to play smart. We got to play intelligent cricket. They [Australia] are experienced and we got to play well as a team to beat them."

Williams admitted the loss of Sarwan and Chanderpaul in the middle order was big blow, but backed their replacements to deliver. "I think the middle is key. When you are missing guys like Sarwan and Shiv, who bat at three and four, that's a big hole with the experience that they bring to the team as well," he said. "But we got the youngsters in there like Narsingh Deonarine, and these guys have proven they are able to do their job. Hopefully, if we give them the opportunity, they will be able to come good for us."

The absence of Edwards and Taylor means the bulk of the fast-bowling responsibility will pass on to Kemar Roach, who tested the Australian batsmen in the Tests last year, including Ricky Ponting, who suffered a blow to his elbow. He was also bought by Deccan Chargers at the IPL auction in Mumbai for a whopping US$720,000. "Of course, we don't want to put too much pressure on Roach. That could be very detrimental to his future, so we want to take it one stride at a time," Williams said. "But it is key for him to have a good series, and looking at the bowling attack that we have, it is very inexperienced. There is no Taylor, there is no Fidel, so he is the one that will have to carry the bulk of the bowling."

Several of the West Indies players have been involved in the Regional Four-Day Competition, the first-class tournament in the Caribbean. Though acknowledging the preparation ahead of the ODIs was inadequate, the impressive display from some of the younger members of the squad in the competition was reason for confidence, Williams said. "It is not the ideal thing. We just got to go with the itinerary that has been posted to us by the ICC, and there is nothing that we can really do about that.

"[But] if you look at the four-day tournament, most of the guys are getting hundreds and the bowlers getting wickets so that augurs well for us in this one-day series," he said. "What we need to try and do is the little momentum that we have from the four-day series, try and take it into the one-day game."