da bet7： West Indian preparations for the first Test in Galle, which have alreadybeen hampered by security fears, poor weather and the production of aspinner friendly surface, have been hit by fresh injury problems on the eveof the series opener
Charlie Austin12-Nov-2001West Indian preparations for the first Test in Galle, which have alreadybeen hampered by security fears, poor weather and the production of aspinner friendly surface, have been hit by fresh injury problems on the eveof the series opener.Opening fast bowler Reon King will not play having been diagnosed as having a suspected hernia. Team manager Ricky Skerrit said that he could have played with painkillers, but the management have decided instead to play an extra spin bowler.Skerrit added that it was too early to say whether King would have to return to the Caribbean for surgery.The injury leaves the West Indies with a bowling attack short of match practice on a brown, flat pitch, after poor weather during their two practice games meant only four frontline bowlers were able to bowl under match conditions.West Indies have opted instead for the left-arm spin of Neil McGarrell, ahead of fast bowlers Pedro Collins and Marlon Black. Skeritt stressed that the decision to pick an extra spinner was based upon the belief that the pitch would take spin.There are also doubts over the fitness of support bowler Colin Stuart, whowas impressive in Matara, picking up two wickets, but was forced to leavethe field after just 12 overs with severe leg cramps. The managementmaintains that he is fine, but he has to contend with severe heat andhumidity in Galle.Hooper admitted that: “We would have loved to have another game before thisTest, but we have got a Test match tomorrow and we have got to look forwardto it. We have made the best use of the practice we have had and we areready.”It’s the first time that the two sides have played Test cricket against eachother for four and a half years. Sri Lanka have never won a Test against theWest Indies, but look slight favourites here thanks to a slow, turningpitch. Indeed, the home team has won four out of the six Tests played inGalle.The curator, Jayanda Warnaweera, predicts a result on the fourth or thefifth day and the Sri Lankans are all set to play three frontline spinners,in addition to the left-arm spin of Sanath Jayasuriya.Skipper Jayasuriya admitted that the teams strategy would be spin-based:”You never really know exactly how this Galle wicket is going to play, butwe might go in with a different looking attack (against India in Galle theyhad fielded four fast bowlers). The pitch looks hard underneath. For thefirst two days it should be an excellent wicket to bat on and then it shouldstart to turn. The spinners will have to bowl a lot of overs on this.”He was, however, quick to point out what happened last year in Galle lastyear, when Pakistan picked four fast bowlers, the ball didn’t turn, and SriLanka were soundly thrashed. This pitch, though, is certainly drier.Left arm spinner Niroshan Bandaratillake, 26, is therefore set to make acomeback after two and a half years in the wilderness. He is joined byoff-spinning all-rounder Thilan Samaraeera and, of course, MuttiahMuralitharan. He has been suffering from a sore shoulder in recent times,but physio Alex Kontouri brushed it is aside as a “minor” niggle.Hooper was not surprised by Sri Lanka’s strategy. “We have looked at videotapes of the series against England, and the Galle pitch looked like itturned more than the other venues, so we knew they would be thinking aboutthree spinners. Traditionally, spin has played a big part here”During these early tour interviews the most commonly raised topic isMuralitharan and what plans the opposition has to neutralise him. Nasser Hussaintalked about lowering his strike rate and Sourav Ganguly believed thatplayers had to be positive. Hooper, such a sublime player of the turningball, just shrugs his shoulders and says: “We are going to treatMuralitharan like anybody else, by trying to put the loose balls away andkeeping the good balls out.”How West Indies batsmen cope with Muralitharan is undoubtedly a key factorin the series. If the experienced Brian Lara and Hooper can get on topearly, then life will become easier for the young guns: Chris Gayle, DarenGanga, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Marlon Samuels.If the West Indies can hold him at bay and post some reasonable scores thentheir fast bowlers will have the opportunity to put pressure on the SriLankan batsmen, who have, time and again, shown themselves to be susceptibleto quick bowlers. This will be especially so in Kandy and SSC, where theywill get greater assistance, both in the air and off the pitch.Sri Lanka will recall middle order batsmen Russel Arnold, who was droppedfor their last Test against Bangladesh in September, after his good form inSharjah. The only matter of debate is the second fast bowler. Ruchira Pererais the likeliest selection with Nuwan Zoysa having played just one firstclass match in nearly six months after an ankle injury.Likely teams:Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya (capt), Marvan Atapattu, Kumar Sangakkara,Mahela Jayawardene, Russel Arnold, Hashan Tillakaratne, Thilan Samaraweera,Chaminda Vaas, Niroshan Bandaratillake, Muttiah Muralithathan, RuchiraPereraWest Indies: Carl Hooper (capt), Daren Ganga, Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan,Brian Lara, Marlon Samuels, Ridley Jacobs, Mervyn Dillon, Colin Stuart,Dinanath Ramnarine, Neil McGarrel