BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THE Leeward Islands cricket team’s preparation for the upcoming Regional Four-Day and 50 Over Competitions are progressing well despite challenges faced by those charged with the responsibility.
A 30-member team is currently in St. Kitts and Camp Director Junie Mitchum claimed that the camp is going well and the team is being prepared to be competitive.
“The preparation so far for the Leeward Islands is going quite well. We are presently preparing for the West Indies Regional Four Day and also the 50 Over. We are having both camps together and preparing the guys not only to compete but also be competitive.
“Because we are different from Trinidad and Jamaica, we have to combine general preparation and specific preparation. We only had two weeks and because our tournaments are so far from the regional tournament it is a long time for the players not playing and then coming to a training camp.”
He also highlighted the player’s poor physical fitness and their injuries as some of the other challenges they are currently facing in the camp. He however disclosed that they are improving in that regard.
“Most of the time they are not in the physical shape that we want them to be in, and that is why we have to combine general preparation and specific preparation.
“They are some players with some slight niggling injuries. They are recovering and the physical trainer has being doing a good job in helping them to get to the level they need to be and also to help those with injuries to recover.”
Mitchum is confident of the team’s chances of being ahead in the upcoming tournaments, starting with the Nagico Regional Super 50 Over on January 30 in Trinidad and Tobago.
“The Leeward’s team is never short of talent and ability. But the problem lies in their level to manage the talent and ability in regards to knowing what they need to do in game situations, how to apply themselves and being able to play together as a unit. However, those are some of the things we have been working on during this camp.”
The NAGICO Super 50 Tournament will run from January 30 to February 15 and will be broadcast live on ESPN for the television audience and on Caribbean Super Station radio. The matches will be played at Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain and Shaw Park, Tobago.
