Colombo, Sri Lanka – Ramnaresh Sarwan is happy to be back in West Indies colours and is eagerly looking forward to the three One Day Internationals against Sri Lanka. The 30-year-old said he is focussed on helping the team in the upcoming series and also to play his part in the International Cricket Council’s Cricket World Cup.
"It feels really great to be back. We had a really good workout today and so far I am just happy to fit into the team again. We have a very good team vibe going and it is very important that we maintain that and build on that. It is also important that we get off to a good start in this series and try to get that early momentum," Sarwan said.
The experienced right-hander was speaking after the Windies had a full training session at the Sinhalese Sports Club on Saturday. The team will have another session on Sunday afternoon as they prepare for the first match on Monday at the historic SSC, followed by the other matches on Thursday, February 3 and Sunday, February, 6.
Sarwan enters the series with an impressive record in ODIs. He has made 156 appearances and scored 5,098 runs at an average of 43.94 per innings, including four centuries. Looking ahead to the three-match rubber he added: "The pitch at the SSC is normally a good one for batting. I have done well here (Sri Lanka) before. I am just hoping to maintain the same level of success I have had before, make a major contribution to the team, and try to bat us into winning positions.
Sarwan added: "The greatest dream is to win the Cricket World Cup for all the people of the Caribbean and all those around the world who support us. We have to give Darren (Sammy) our full support. Obviously, he is still a bit new to the job as captain so it is important that he gets our full backing. We need to be consistent as a team and that would give us a really good chance of winning."
The One Day Series was originally slated for December but was rescheduled due to bad weather. For the World Cup the Windies have been drawn in Group B alongside South Africa, Netherlands, India, Bangladesh, England and Ireland in the 14 team event.
Windies Squad: Darren Sammy (captain), Adrian Barath, Carlton Baugh Sulieman Benn, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Shiv Chanderpaul, Chris Gayle, Nikita Miller, Kieron Pollard, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Devon Smith.
TOUR SCHEDULE
West Indies in Sri Lanka
Jan 31 – 1st ODI at SSC, Colombo
Feb 3 – 2nd ODI at SSC, Colombo
Feb 6 – 3rd ODI at SSC, Colombo
West Indies World Cup Warm Up matches
Feb 12 – v Kenya at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Feb 16 – v Sri Lanka at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
West Indies World Cup Group B matches
Feb 24 – v South Africa (New Delhi)
Feb 28 – v Netherlands (New Delhi)
Mar 4 – v Bangladesh (Dhaka)
Mar 11 – v Ireland (Mohali)
Mar 17 – v England (Chennai)
Mar 20 – v India (Chennai)