Sarwan ready for Australian pace blitz
Star young West Indian batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan -- who burst on the first-class cricket scene as a 15-year-old -- declared Sunday he was ready for Australia's explosive pace attack in the five-Test series starting later this month.
Buoyed by his successes against England, where he averaged almost 41 -- the best in his side -- in three Tests in the northern summer, the 20-year-old right-hander said he was excited by the prospect of facing Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie.
"Of course, I have not played against any of them yet, but I have seen Brett on television," he said.
Diplomatically, he said he was not in a position to rate them at the moment.
"I don't want to make any comment on them, but of course I and all the other boys are looking forward to batting against them."
Sarwan looms as a key component in an inexperienced West Indies batting line-up which, despite his successes, plumbed the depths during the England series, won 3-1 by the home country.
Sarwan was the youngest player in West Indies cricket when he made his debut for Guyana at the age of 15 years and 235 days.
Former England captain Ted Dexter, who watched him bat in a recent game against Pakistan, predicted he had the class to finish with a Test average of 50 - the barometer of an outstanding Test batsman.
While he has not played in a game in Australia, he has had the advantage of spending a month earlier this year at the Australian Cricket Academy in Adelaide, under the tutelage of former Australian wicketkeeper Rod Marsh.
"That was pretty good," he said. "We had a few net sessions on the turf there, and that helped me. I found the surface pretty good for batting. The ball comes on well to the bat."
Sarwan said that in his earlier days his batting heroes were West Indians Brian Lara and Carl Hooper and Australia's Waugh brothers, Steve and Mark.
"When I was younger I probably tried to copy Carl or Mark, but not any more," he said. "Now I just try to be myself at all times."
Sarwan will not have to wait long for his first taste of Australia's champion pace battery: the first Test gets under way in Brisbane November 23.
His tussles with the fiery Lee promise to be one of the highlights of the series.
Lee, named International Young Cricketer of the Year in 2000, bowled the fastest ball ever recorded in international cricket in April, when one of his deliveries in a one-day clash against South Africa in Johannesburg measured a sizzling 156kph (96.89 mph).
Mail Cricket Editor
