West Indies head coach Floyd Reifer is confident that T20 megastars and talented youngsters in his team will provide the fireworks against India when a sell-out weekend crowd shows up for the two T20Is starting here on Saturday.
The West Indies T20 squad camped in Florida to acclimatise with sultry conditions and Reifer’s team, which he calls a fine blend of youth and experience, will turn up the heat on the Indian team full of youngsters.
“The team is young, and we like to mix the experienced players with the youth. We have a very good blend. We are looking forward to the matches here in Florida. It should be a very exciting weekend, we [will have] lots of entertainment for the fans,” Reifer told Cricket West Indies as his side geared up for Saturday morning with some intense training sessions at the Broward County Stadium.
Stars back in action
With stars such as Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine and skipper Carlos Brathwaite in the mix, West Indies would start as the favourite. “We have players like Pollard and Narine making a return to the team as well as the captain Carlos Brathwaite and they have a lot of experience at this level and in this format.”
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Among the junior players, Reifer singled out 27-year-old left-arm spinner Khary Pierre and reserve wicket-keeper Anthony Bramble, 28, for special mention. Pierre made his T20I debut against India last year in Kolkata.
“We have young Khary Pierre, a very good spinner, he played in India last year and he bowled quite well. He is also a good fielder,” Reifer said. “Bramble has been around first-class cricket for a while, and he has played some very good innings for Guyana. He toured with the West Indies B team to Canada and did a great job as captain. You can see how eager he is to get out there on the park and perform at this level.”
‘Energy levels high’
Reifer, who played six Tests and eight ODIs, is happy with the camp at Fort Lauderdale. “The camp has been going really great so far. We have had some intense training sessions and we are acclimatized. It’s hot here, very hot and hotter than what we are accustomed to in the Caribbean and we are preparing the players to perform at the highest international standard.”
The energy level of the youngsters has impressed Reifer. “I like what I’m seeing here. Everybody is very enthusiastic, the energy levels are high and the players are pushing one another. We are working hard and these are the kinds of things we want to get into the team every time we come to training as we build a solid culture going forward.”
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