Barath: 'We had to really battle'
The West Indies “A” Team had an excellent first day against England in their three-day match at Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts. Opening batsman Adrian Barath made a patient 132 off 231 balls and Lendl Simmons was 171 not out off 240 balls as the young Windies side reached 343-2, at the end of the day.Simmons was unbeaten on 171 from 240 balls with 19 fours and five sixes. He added 262 for the second wicket with Barath.
“I am really delighted to get a score against England and I am looking to get even more tomorrow. I have my eyes on a double century, which would be the second [double century] of my career,” said the 24-year-old Simmons, who has appeared in eight One-Day Internationals.
“It was not easy out there but I decided I would work hard to get a good score. I decided to bat time rather than bat runs. I knew once I stayed there for a long time, the runs would come.”
He added: “We are in a very good position and we will look to get more and more. I am looking to put my name in the frame and get into the West Indies team again. This is a start and I will look to capitalize.”
For the 18-year-old Barath it was a matter of being patient and waiting for the bad ball to come. Overall he faced 213 balls and hit 16 fours and a six to reach his third first-class century.
“This was my first time playing for the West Indies ‘A’ Team and I am very happy I was able to get a score. The pitch was good but batting was not easy. The England bowlers were very good. They were patient and we had to play the be patient qas well,” said Barath, who was a member of the West Indies Team to last year’s International Cricket Council Under-19 World Cup.
“Simmons and myself had to really battle. We were prepared to battle out. We knew we had to fight and we decided to put our heads down and we made sure we did not give it away. My goal overall was to bat the entire day. Unfortunately I missed out on my goal. I wanted to be there at the end, but I managed to get a good score and put the team in a good position.”