Last Windies players head to subcontinent

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

The last batch of Windies players left the Caribbean on Tuesday to join their teammates in India ahead of the limited overs series against Afghanistan set to bowl off next week.

Players and management began leaving last Sunday for the tour that includes three Twenty20 (T20) Internationals, three One-Day Internationals (ODI) and a one-off Test, and the entire squad is expected to be assembled in the northern India city of Lucknow by today.

Test players like off-spinning all-rounder Rahkeem Cornwall will join the side later next month after representing his native Leeward Islands Hurricanes in the Regional Super50, with the Test set to begin bowl off on November 27.

The Super50 runs from November 6 to December 1 in Trinidad and St Kitts.

The Windies will face a tough challenge against the Afghans, especially with the series being played on subcontinent “home turf”.

The Caribbean side beat their hosts in their last meeting during the ICC World Cup in England, earlier this year, but it was only the second time in six ODIs that they had registered a win over their opponents.

Afghanistan drew a three-match series in the Caribbean two years ago but then twice trounced the Windies during the ICC World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe last year.

Windies more dominant

The Windies have been more dominant in the T20 format, however, beating Afghanistan in three of four matches.

The two sides have never met in a Test.

Afghanistan, meanwhile, have quietly assembled for the tour, with captain Rashid Khan the last player to arrive from the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday.

Team manager Muhammad the Prophet Nazeem Jaar said the hosts were well prepared for the challenge presented by the Windies.

“There has been a lot of change in the mentality of the team since the World Cup in July, and we are hoping for a good series here,” he said.

“West Indies have been a good side, but we are ready to challenge them on home turf. We had our cricket at Noida and then Dehradun, but Lucknow is altogether a different place.”

Afghanistan were only awarded Test status two years ago and bagged their first win last month when they stunned Bangladesh in Chittagong.

Like the Windies, they have undergone a change of coach, with former South Africa all-rounder Lance Klusener taking over after Phil Simmons stepped down following the World Cup.

Ironically Simmons, a former Test all-rounder, has now taken up the head coach role with the Windies.

The tourists will play a warm-up match next Tuesday before facing Afghanistan in the opening ODI two days later.