 Captains see slow pitch at Sabina Park
Kingston (Jamaica), June 30: Despite the chief
grounds man at Sabina Park claiming that he has prepared a pitch helpful for faster bowlers, both the Indian and West Indies captains have predicted that it will be a slow track for the fourth and decisive Test which starts here today. West Indies captain Brian Lara could not hide his disappointment at the pitch. "It doesn't look a typical Sabina pitch. It might not help the fast bowlers as much. I don't think it will bounce as much. Sabina Park has always produced a result so it might but I think it would help the spinners towards the end," Lara said.
The batting maestro was also not quite happy with the bowlers at his disposal for the decider but said "we would have to make do with it." His counterpart Rahul Dravid agreed with Lara's reading of the 22-yard strip. He felt it was a slow wicket on which the ball could stop on the batsmen initially. Still he was hopeful it could bring about a result since rain no longer makes a difference to the proceedings.
"As we saw in the one-day series, the rain doesn't make too much of a difference because of the good drainage. While playing on such slow wickets, it's important to get the full 450 overs. It can give both teams a chance to produce a result," the Karnataka batsman said. "I said right in the beginning of the series that we've got to maintain our consistency throughout. We've come to the end of the series and the result is still 0-0. Both teams can win the series and like I said it's an exciting possibility," Dravid said.
The Indian captain said he need not work too hard to motivate his team. "All the guys in the squad see it as an opportunity to do something special, make a difference and to be the sort of players who can stand up and be counted when it matters. "I don't think I need to motivate the boys much for this game. They seem to be really keyed up to finish off the series well. We've gained a lot from this series but it's important to finish it well."
Dravid was full of praise for his young fast bowlers and felt they had not been given the kind of acknowledgment for their hard work they deserved. (Agencies)
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