Colin Stuart
MATARA, CMC:
TRYING TO fine tune their squad for next Tuesday's opening cricket Test against Sri Lanka at Galle, West Indies have brought Dinanath Ramnarine and Colin Stuart into their XI for the three-day match against Sri Lanka-A, starting today.
Leg-spin bowler Ramnarine and fast bowler Stuart are the only changes to the side that played in the badly rain-affected opening tour match against another Sri Lanka-A selection at the Nondescripts Cricket Club in Colombo.
Ramnarine and Stuart replace left-arm spin bowler Neil McGarrell and fast bowler Marlon Black, both of whom played in the opening tour match, but did not bowl because of the bad weather that disrupted the last two days.
"We are trying to fine tune our side for the first Test, but I will not say definitely that it will be our selection," West Indies coach Roger Harper told the CMC sport radio programme yesterday.
Today's three-day match will be West Indies' final dress rehearsal ahead of the opening Test and the side is hoping they will get all the time available to them to acquire the necessary match practice.
Though all of the players were involved in the Red Stripe Bowl West Indies limited-overs series, they have not played much first-class matches since the tour of Zimbabwe in July.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka fast bowler Dilhara Fernando and 'keeper/batsman Romesh Kaluwitharana have been ruled out of the three Tests after the pair sustained injuries during the recent Sharjah Champions Trophy.
A bone scan revealed that Fernando had a stress fracture in his back that keeps him out until the end of November and Kaluwitharana is nursing a broken right index finger that should rule him out for at least six weeks.
Some concern has also been raised about star off-spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan, who has been suffering a sore shoulder which led to him being rested for the final preliminary match in the Sharjah competition. He is, however, expected to play in the opening Test.
West Indies team: Carl Hooper (captain), Daren Ganga, Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Brian Lara, Marlon Samuels, Ridley Jacobs, Dinanath Ramnarine, Mervyn Dillon, Reon King, Colin Stuart.
