Adams urges WI players to make use of practice match

WEST Indies batting coach Jimmy Adams said the three-day practice match leading up to the Test series against Pakistan is integral to the team’s preparation, saying it is not “just a warm-up.”

West Indies are preparing for a two-match Test series against Pakistan, which will be contested at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan, Pakistan starting on January 17.

Prior to the Test series, West Indies will play a three-day match against Pakistan Shaheens from January 10 in Islamabad from 12.30 am, TT time.

Discussing the value of the practice match, Adams told Cricket West Indies media, “I would not say just (a warm up). It is a very important part of the build-up. It will give (us) time against quality opposition and quality time in the middle is what we need going into that first Test match, so hopefully we make use of the team we are playing against and the surface that they have prepared here for us.”

Adams is pleased with the venues made available for the West Indies in Pakistan.

“The conditions are really excellent for cricket.

“The weather here is really good, it is not too cold, not too hot. The facilities that they have given us here have been excellent. The guys have had everything at their disposal ­– good surfaces, enough practice bowlers - and they have been putting in the time and the intensity has been really good.

“At the end of the day, I think they have gotten exactly what they would have wanted and it is now for us to make use of the three-day practice game going into the first Test match.”

The mindset heading into the series is to not overcomplicate the preparations.

“All the players would be working on individual (skills)…in terms of our team focus it is more just making sure we have the basics covered,” Adams said.

“The plan generally is to ensure that we can do basics for longer than any team we play against and therefore making sure that after a long flight and a couple days of rest that they are ready on getting the basics put to bed and be ready to execute those basics come tomorrow (January 10).”