Dhaka – West Indies team manager Richie Richardson on Wednesday promised exciting cricket and a series of close contests during his team's tour in Bangladesh.
The team, led by all-rounder Darren Sammy, arrived in Dhaka on Tuesday night to play two Tests, three one-day internationals and a one-off Twenty20 match.
“We expect a very competitive tour here in Bangladesh. We don't expect it to be easy,” former skipper Richardson said.
“But we know we have the players with the skills to come here and be successful and beat Bangladesh.
“We have done our homework. We will be ready for whatever combinations we come up against, be it spin or seam or pace.
“I believe you will see an exciting brand of cricket from the West Indies team over the coming weeks.”
Bangladesh recently lost a one-off Test and a five-match one-day series 3-2 in Zimbabwe, but Richardson said the hosts should not be underestimated in their own backyard.
“Bangladesh can be a tough side especially playing at home in favourable conditions. They are a force to be reckoned with and have some good players in their team,” he said.
“But we believe we can beat them. Our players are in good form.”
Richardson said his team would draw inspiration from their World Cup performance against Bangladesh in March when they crushed the joint-hosts at home by nine wickets.
“That result was uplifting for us. When we arrived in Dhaka there was a lot of hype for that match and to win the way we did, dismissing Bangladesh in double figures, was a huge boost for the team,” he said.
“We will draw on performances like that as we look to quickly get acclimatised to the foreign conditions.”
The tourists are without hard-hitting opener Chris Gayle, who is involved in a row with the West Indies Cricket Board and has not played for the team since the World Cup.
The West Indies will play two practice matches before the Twenty20 game on October 11.– Sapa-AFP