Latest update December 21st, 2024 1:52 AM
Rampaul feels fast bowlers can add pressure
Ravi Rampaul prepares to bowl (WICB Media)
DHAKA, Bangladesh – Ravi Rampaul said there was still a role for the fast bowlers in the West Indies team to play, when they face hosts Bangladesh in their two-Test series.
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,” he told reporters on Sunday ahead of the first Test at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium here. “It’s basically a pitch on which you have to exercise patience. Use your variations and attack the wicket more.”
He added: “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. “We believe in our ability and try to build as much pressure on the batsmen as possible when we are bowling.”
Reports indicated that the pitch at the Sher-e-Bangla, where the first Test starts on Tuesday [Monday night – East Caribbean Time], has been much kinder to the fast bowlers in two domestic first-class matches this year.
Rampaul said West Indies could exploit any type of conditions, since they had a balanced attack.
“It’s too early to tell how the pitch will play,” he said. “We won’t know until the first ball how much bounce we will be able to generate.
“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.”
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 for the trip.
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.
“This year, Kemar has taken the most wickets for us,” he said. “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.
“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. “Last year, we came here and came out on top. This year, we are planning to do the same thing. We have to keep believing in ourselves and doing the basics right and we will come out on top again.”
West Indies on Sunday continued their preparations for the first Test with a full practice session that included match simulations under the guidance of head coach Ottis Gibson.
This is West Indies’ third full tour of Bangladesh, following trips in 2002 and last year.
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