Dhaka, Bangladesh – Expect to see the best of Adrian Barath when the West Indies take on Bangladesh in the coming weeks. The right-handed opener is promising to bring his A-game when he takes strike at the top of the order in the one-off T20 International, three One-Dayers and two Tests.
The Windies had a full training session on Saturday afternoon at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur. All the batsmen were given extended hits in the nets as they try to used to the pace and bounce of the surfaces. The West Indies will have a T20 warm-up match on Sunday against the Bangladesh Cricket Board XI at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah. First ball is 1 pm (3 am Eastern Caribbean Time/2 am Jamaica Time).
Barath took a time-out after his net session to speak of his readiness for the series. The small 21-year-old said the team is eagerly looking forward to the upcoming challenge. He is having his second taste of action in Bangladesh – his first trip here was in February, 2008 with the West Indies Under-19 team as they prepared for the ICC Under-19 World Cup.
"Preparation is the key if you hope to be successful at the international level that’s why we have been working so hard and in the build-up to this series. Everything is going great so far. In the camp everyone is speaking about what to expect, what we will encounter, and how to go about combating the Bangladeshis. Spin will obviously be a factor as the Bangladesh attack is built around their slow bowlers. We have been doing our homework," Barath said.
"I came here from playing for Trinidad & Tobago in the Champions League in India and that sort of prepared me for this series. It was good to be playing competitive cricket in the build-up. Before we went to India I was at the camp in Barbados. Most of the other players were in England for the T20s and then at the camp in Dubai, so we all have some good cricket under our belts."
Barath added: "I have not played against Bangladesh yet at the international level, but I played here back in 2008 when we had matches before the West Indies side went for the World Cup in Malaysia. I have some idea of how the wickets here behave and this will help me to play in this series."
Barath made a stunning entry into Test cricket two year ago when he made a blazing century against Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane. His second international century came in the second ODI against Sri Lanka at the SSC Ground in Colombo earlier this year. He has so far played seven Test matches, nine One-Day Internationals and a single T20 International.
"It’s going to be slow pitches here but we are prepared for anything. We have the sort of players that will step up to the plate. This series is an important affair for us. It’s a bit warm but we are very familiar with this sort of weather conditions. Everyone in the side is confident and looking forward to the series."