BIRMINGHAM, England –West Indies showed improvement in all departments to record a morale-boosting win over Sri Lanka on Tuesday as both teams got much needed preparation for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2013. The Windies batted freely and fluently to score 297-8 off 50 overs – with excellent knocks from Darren Bravo (71), Johnson Charles (58) and Ramnaresh Sarwan (55) on a good pitch at Edgbaston.
The bowlers then restricted Sri Lanka to 280 off 47 overs to win by 17 runs. Captain Dwayne Bravo was the most successful bowler with 3-26, while off-spinner Sunil Narine was the day’s best bowler with 2-26 off 10 overs.
It was a good rebound for the Windies after they were defeated by Australia last Saturday in Cardiff. They now look forward to Friday’s opening Group B match against Pakistan at the Oval.
A confident Narine bowled with great control and accuracy as the Windies also improved their ground fielding. He said after the match he was happy with his effort as well as his recent jump to the Number 1 position in the ICC One-Day Bowling rankings. He is also Number 1 in the ICC T20 Bowling rankings.
"Being able to have a good performance in this game has given me the confidence going into the first game on Friday. Hopefully I can continue with this good form I am having. Today I tried to assess the pitch as soon as possible and once I realised it was giving me assistance, I decided to make the most of it. I tried my variations and I tried to go at them as hard as I could," Narine said after the win.
The 25-year was asked to bowl in the crucial final stages of the innings and pegged back the batsmen.
"I think (Dwayne) Bravo did a good job of captaining the team – he knew when to attack and when to hold back. It was a good learning experience for both of us. Bravo wanted me to keep it tight at the end in my final two overs and when I came back at the end I just looked to do that. I just tried to be patient."
He added: "It feels much better for me this year than when I was here last year. I am getting some purchase off the wicket and I’m hoping to help the West Indies to some more victories in this tournament. The wickets last year didn’t offer much turn but this year I am getting a bit more turn, they suit me a bit more and I’m trying to make the most of it."
Narine has been sensational since he made his ODI debut back in December 2011 in India. He has played 28 matches and taken 47 wickets at an average of 21.68 runs per wicket. Last year he won the ICC Emerging Player of the Year award.
"Whatever success you get you just look to enjoy it. I never set out to be Number 1 in the rankings, but I will look to maintain my position and do well for the team all the time," he added.
SQUAD
Dwayne Bravo (Captain)
Denesh Ramdin (Vice Captain)
Tino Best
Darren Bravo
Johnson Charles
Chris Gayle
Jason Holder
Sunil Narine
Kieron Pollard
Ravi Rampaul
Kemar Roach
Darren Sammy
Marlon Samuels
Ramnaresh Sarwan
Devon Smith
TEAM MANAGEMENT
Ottis Gibson (Head Coach)
Richie Richardson (Team Manager)
Toby Radford (Assistant Coach)
Andre Coley (Assistant Coach)
C.J. Clark (Physiotherapist)
Hector Martinez Charles (Strength & Conditioning Coach)
Richard Berridge (Video & Statistical Analyst)
Philip Spooner (Media Manager)
Virgil Browne (Massage Therapist)
MATCH SCHEDULE
Pre-tournament warm-up matches
Saturday, June 1: Australia beat West Indies by 4 wickets at Cardiff (day/night)
Tuesday, June 4: West Indies beat Sri Lanka by 17 runs at Edgbaston
Preliminary matches Group B
Friday, June 7: vs Pakistan at the Oval
Tuesday, June 11: vs India at the Oval
Friday, June 14: vs South Africa at Cardiff
Semi-finals:
Wednesday, June 19: at the Oval
Thursday, June 20: at Cardiff
FINAL: Sunday, June 23 at Edgbaston