Wednesday, November 11th 2009 – London, England: Reinstated West Indies captain, Chris Gayle, says that team unity will be a key ingredient for the team to perform competitively on the tough three-Test assignment in Australia.
“I think all of us need to come together and perform well as a team. We need to be competitive in everything we do,” Gayle said, while in transit in London on the way to Australia.
Gayle also observed that the two-day journey can take its toll on the players and they will have to pay keen attention to counter jet lag upon arrival.
“It’s a long flight – we don’t get there until Thursday – but when we arrive, we have a few days to get ready, assess the conditions and try and get as much practice in as possible before the first Test,” the 30 year old power hitting left hander said.
The first Test is scheduled for The Gabba, starting on November 26th, but the Windies will face Queensland in their lone warm up match – a four day affair – at the Allan Border Field in Queensland starting November 18th.
Gayle said despite starting as underdogs against the mighty Australians a tour ‘Down Under’ is always one which is keenly anticipated by the players as it is where the world’s premier players are always hungry for success.
“I’m really looking forward to this tour of Australia. It’s good to be back and we are hoping for a very successful tour. It won’t be an easy task going up against Australia – we’ve got to get our mindset organized and go out there and get the job done,” Gayle reasoned.
The other two Tests will be played at the Adelaide Oval in South Australia and Perth in Western Australia before the team returns home shortly before Christmas.
And on a personal note, Gayle said it was good to be back in the team and at the helm of the regional side.
“For me personally, I’ve been out of cricket for some time now but I’m looking forward to getting back into it and getting the feel of cricket again. For the team, we’ve not been together for a while but I’m confident it won’t take long to get the team spirit going again – we’ve just got to go out there and do our best.” the captain asserted.
