DHAKA – West Indies pacer Ravi Rampaul says his side is prepared to exploit any type of conditions on their tour of Bangladesh because of a balanced bowling attack.
Reports have indicated that the pitch at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, where the first Test was due to start last night (East Caribbean Time) has favoured the fast bowlers in two domestic first-class matches this year.
Rampaul said there was a role for fast bowlers amid reports as well that West Indies were seeking to beef up their spin attack by debuting left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul alongside off-spinner Sunil Narine.
“It’s too early to tell how the pitch will play. We won’t know until the first ball how much bounce we will be able to generate,” Rampaul added.
“We have some fast bowlers that can clock around 90 miles an hour, so if the pitch gives us purchase and we put the ball in the right areas we can attack them.
“As a bowling unit, we tend to examine the batsmen and examine their weaknesses. If the short ball is one of their weaknesses, we will exploit it as far as possible to get them out.”
The West Indies fast bowler said he and the rest of the pace attack may find the pitches typically unforgiving during the series, but it just meant they had to adjust their tactics to reap the rewards.
“From past experiences, the pitches have always been slow for the fast bowlers, but the spinners get a little turn.
“It’s basically a pitch on which you have to exercise patience – use your variations and attack the wicket more,” he told reporters.
“The pitches have been slower in some parts of the world, so we try to keep things as simple as possible and try to execute the basics properly.”
West Indies suffered a setback before the tour started, when fast bowler Kemar Roach was sidelined with a knee injury just prior to the side’s departure.
Roach has been the team’s most successful bowler in Tests this year with 39 wickets, but Rampaul said he felt the attack could manage without him.
“It is a huge gap to fill, but Fidel Edwards is in the squad and he is a very experienced campaigner in Tests. We have a fairly all-round bowling unit and we feel it can do the job for us,” said Rampaul.
“We are not underestimating any of their batsmen. We plan to take all 20 wickets in each Test and try to come out on top as a bowling unit.” (CMC)
