Members of the West Indies squad have left the Caribbean for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh. The last group left Barbados on Friday night, including Test Captain Kraigg Brathwaite.
An experienced Test opener expressed confidence that the team will perform well in Bangladesh’s home conditions.
He said, “We’re all up for the challenge … it’s going to be a tough series in Bangladesh but we have confidence and we have a belief that we will do very well,” said Brathwaite. “We have some members of the squad who will be playing there for the first time so it will be something new for them, but they know they have the talent and can perform at this level.”
Brathwaite has scored three of his eight Test centuries against Bangladesh. He made a career-best 212 in 2014 and had scores of 121 and 110 in the two-game rubber three years ago.
He added: “It’s about being very clear in our plans, whether when we’re batting or when we’re bowling. We need to know how we want to play … how we are going to score our runs and how we are going to look for our wickets. Patience will be the key. It is always very important in the format of the Test and especially on the fields in Bangladesh. ”
The tour includes two Test matches, as part of the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Test Championship, and three One-Day Internationals (ODI) as part of the ICC Cricket World Cup Premier League. The ODIs present the West Indies the first chance to win Super League points that count towards the pre-qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2023.
All cohort members returned their second COVID-19 negative PCR tests as part of the established medical protocols and have been cleared for travel to Bangladesh. The full squad is expected to arrive in Dhaka on Sunday.
West Indies ODI Squad: Jason Mohammed (captain), Sunil Ambris (lieutenant), Nkrumah Bonner, Joshua Da Silva, Keon Harding, Jahmar Hamilton, Chemar Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Andre McCarthy, Kjorn Ottley, Rovman Powell, Raymon Reifer, Hayden Walsh jr
West Indies Test Squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Jermaine Blackwood (lieutenant), Nkrumah Bonner, John Campbell, Cornwall Rahkeem, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Kavem Hodge, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Shayne Moseley, Veerasammy Permaul, Kemar Roach, Raymon Reifer, Jomel Warrican
Team Management: Phil Simmons (Head Coach), Rawl Lewis (Team Manager), Roddy Estwick (Assistant Coach), Monty Desai (Assistant Coach), Rayon Griffith (Assistant Coach), Denis Byam (Physiotherapist), Dr Praimanand Singh (Team Physician), Ronald Rogers (Strength and Conditioning Trainer), Sharon Coppin (Massage Therapist), Simeon Christophe (Massage Therapist), Donald LeGuerre (Thinking Skills Trainer), Dario Barthley (Media and Content Officer), Paul Slowe (Safety and Compliance Officer), AR Srikkanth (Team Analyst)
Full Tour Timetable
January 10: West Indies arrives
January 18: One-day warm-up game, BKSP, Savar
January 20 1st ODI, SBNCS, Dhaka
January 22: 2nd ODI, SBNCS, Dhaka
January 25: 3rd ODI, ZACS, Chattogram
January 28-31: Four-day warm-up, Aziz MA Stadium, Chattogram
February 3-7: 1st Test match, ZACS, Chattogram
February 11-15: 2nd Test match, SBNCS, Dhaka