West Indies prepare for World Cup at Antigua

West Indies cricketers enter the next phase of their preparation for the World Cup in South Africa next month when they begin match simulation practice from today at the new Stanford Cricket Ground.

"What we want to do is try and simulate conditions here," coach Roger Harper was reported as saying on www.windiescricket.com, the West Indies Cricket Board's website.

"We will try and get our players familiar with certainly the pitch conditions (we are likely to face in South Africa) as well as other aspects of our game - batting, bowling and sharpening our fielding.

"From a strategic point of view, we will be working on the important aspects of One-Day cricket that we think we need to implement effectively during the World Cup."

Harper said West Indies fast bowling legend, Andy Roberts, who will be assisting with the coaching of the bowlers, has been instrumental in the preparation of the pitch.

"He (Roberts) will be co-ordinating with the (ground staff) and he understands we would like to have conditions as close as possible to those in South Africa.

"The pitches in South Africa tend to have quite a bit of bounce and very good carry and there is also a little bit of lateral movement," the coach said.

The 15-man squad, plus five reserves along with guest players from Antigua, will be engaged in two day/night practice matches tomorrow and Sunday.

Harper said the games were planned knowing that their first two matches against hosts South Africa and Sri Lanka would be day/night fixtures.