John Dyson.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – West Indies head coach John Dyson is looking forward to his team doing “really well” in the upcoming Digicel Home Series 2008 against Australia.

 

The West Indies selectors on Tuesday named 17 players for a camp in Antigua from May 12 to 17 ahead of the Digicel Home Series, which bowls off in Jamaica on May 22.

 

Speaking on Wednesday, Dyson expressed hope that the players would continue the improvement they showed in the recent Digicel Series against Sri Lanka.

 

The Windies drew the Tests 1-1, and took the One-Day series 2-0, with the final match being rained out.

 

“This is an opportunity to continue the work we did in the Digicel Series against Sri Lanka. Our last Test was a win and our last One-Day series was also a win,” Dyson stated in a West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) press release.

 

Dyson added that the Sri Lanka performance provided “positives” to build on and he expected the nucleus of the side that played against the Sri Lankans to feature against the World Champions.

 

“We believe the bulk of the team against Australia will come from the squad which played against Sri Lanka,” Dyson said.

 

Turning to the Australians, Dyson said the series will be a tough challenge for his team, but he believes the Windies have the quality to match the visitors.

 

“We know it will be tough but we are ready for that challenge. We are looking forward to getting all the players in the right frame of mind and can do really well,” Dyson said.

 

“We have put all the systems in place and what I like about the group of players we have here is the consistency of selection. Those selected will know what is required.

 

“Of course there are others close to selection, who will also be hoping to grab a spot in the team. We are happy with the group that we have and we are confident as we prepare for the series,” added the Australian, who took over last year as West Indies coach.

 

The Digicel Home Series 2008 between West Indies and Australia will have three Tests and five One Day International (ODI) matches.

 

The Tests are at Sabina Park in Jamaica May 22-26, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua May 30 to June 3, and Kensington Oval, Barbados June 12-16.

 

The ODIs start at Arnos Vale in St Vincent on June 24, will continue with Games 2 and 3 at Grenada National Stadium on June 27 and 29, and the series concludes at Warner Park in St Kitts with games on July 4 and 6.

 

There is also a Twenty20 International scheduled at Kensington Oval, Barbados on June 20.

 

The West Indies training squad announced Tuesday, did not included the injured Chris Gayle and the other West Indians currently attached to the Indian Premier League (IPL) – Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dwayne Bravo.

 

CMC lw/08