Australia in West Indies 2008

Windies' manager confident ahead of first Test

Cricinfo staff

May 14, 2008

	Omar Khan, West Indies' manager, with coach John Dyson (file photo) © AFP

"What I have noticed about the players is that they are maturing and this gives me confidence going into such a tough series," Khan said. "We are cognisant of the fact that we are coming up against the world champions, Australia. We know our position in the rankings and theirs, and the players know what is expected of them."

West Indies go into the series on the back of an impressive performance against Sri Lanka - they drew the two-Test series 1-1 before claiming the three-match ODI series 2-0, with one match being abandoned due to rain.

An 18-man West Indies squad is currently engaged in a six-day training camp which began on May 12. "The players have been put under intense training," Khan said. "They have done a lot of physicals and are now moving on to some nets work."

"They understand that they need to be at their very best to compete against Australia and have accepted that," he said. "The guys have also been very interactive in the team-building sessions, and this is good for us. What we are trying to achieve is a strong, united bunch and we are well on our way to achieving this."

Following a two-day practice match against an Antiguan XI which brings the camp to a close, the national selectors will choose a 14-man squad that will fly to Kingston on Sunday to prepare for the first Test.

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