West Indies can do well in Zimbabwe

Today begins an interesting journey for me as I split my focus between recuperating from my recent ankle injury and following the fortunes of the West Indies team on tour in Zimbabwe, and later on South Africa.

Naturally, I am disappointed to miss out on these two series but I’m confident that Chris [Gayle] will handle the captaincy well in my absence. I was unable to reach him by phone when I called yesterday so I want to take this opportunity to wish him and the guys all the best. I’m sure they will do very well in the one-day matches in Zimbabwe.

I think we have a young and talented team and it’s a great opportunity for our players to perform and try and win convincingly and get some form before we move on to South Africa because that will be a much tougher tour. Therefore, it’s important that we start off on the right foot versus Zimbabwe to get ourselves ready to tackle South Africa in a few weeks from now.

The guys worked very hard during the pre-tour camp and the best reward we could get now is to do well against Zimbabwe who we can’t take for granted. Even though I am not there to play my part on the field, I will definitely be keeping track of what’s happening over in Africa, whether it’s watching on television – if the cricket is on – or following the matches via the internet and radio.

Meanwhile, I will be continuing my recovery and rehabilitation from my latest setback: the injury to my right ankle. It happened in training on the morning of the KFC Cup game versus Trinidad & Tobago in mid-October and prevented me from taking part in the semi-finals of that event and, of course, from making the team to Africa. Right now, I am aiming to return to action in time to represent Guyana in the Carib Beer Cricket Series starting in early January. If I can do that, I would be very happy as West Indies will be hosting Sri Lanka and Australia next year.

I have been getting treatment at home in Guyana and while in Barbados for the camp and I recently started jogging and using stretch bands to strengthen my ankle. This is really important because you put a lot of pressure on your ankles in batting and while running in the outfield. Though I’m obviously eager to resume playing cricket, I know I need to be careful and not rush my progress. The last thing I need is to re-injure myself at this stage.

So, Chris it’s over to you. Good luck, my friend! I will be in Guyana, continuing to work on my ankle and my overall fitness … and cheering the Windies all the way.