Georgetown, Guyana – West Indies Vice Captain Brendan Nash is quietly confident of personal and team success as the Windies continue to prepare for the Digicel Test Series against Pakistan. Speaking on Tuesday, the left-hander said the build-up was "going really well" ahead of the start of the First Digicel Test at the Guyana National Stadium.
First ball is 10 am (9 am Jamaica Time)
"I’m feeling mentally and physically ready for the series. I am hitting the ball really well and I’m where I want to be in the lead-up to the Test series. I played in the WICB Regional 4 Day Tournament and I managed to get some good runs. I felt I batted really well. I’m happy to be part of the team unit for the Test series here against Pakistan," Nash said.
"I’m looking to get onto the field. I love Test cricket and I really enjoy playing for the West Indies so I’m happy to be back among the boys again. We have a few new players who I have not had the joy of playing a Test match with, so that’s exciting for me. We have good camaraderie in the team and we are all focused on the two Test matches upcoming."
The 33-year-old was speaking after a full three-hour training session. The Windies will have another session on Wednesday morning.
Nash last played for the West Indies in the three-Test series in Sri Lanka in December, where he made two half-centuries in three innings. Overall he has played 18 Tests, hit 1,049 runs at 38.85 per innings with two centuries.
"I’m feeling really good the way I’m batting. The last time I batted in a first-class match I got over 200 [207 for Jamaica against Trinidad and Tobago]. Admittedly, that was a little while ago, but I have carried that form with me. Pakistan have a good team, they have some good bowlers, but I believe I am experienced enough and capable enough to handle myself. We have a good team and things are taking shape, so we believe we will do very well against the Pakistanis," Nash added.
"We saw some great cricket in the warm-up match and we had a good training session today. We will have another session as we prepare for the match and everyone is looking forward to Thursday. As the Vice Captain I have added responsibility and I’m always happy to help the others in the team in any way I can. That has been my style from the first day I joined the team.
West Indies squad: Darren Sammy (Captain), Brendan Nash (Vice Captain), Devendra Bishoo, Carlton Baugh (wicketkeeper), Darren Bravo, Shiv Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons, Devon Smith