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England A seek victory against Busta Cup leaders
Kate Laven - 1 February 2001

England A have set their sights on an outright win against Busta Cup leaders Jamaica when their fifth round match gets under way at Sabina Park in Kingston tomorrow.

The pitch that three years ago was so dangerous the First Test match between England and West Indies had to be abandoned, has now become more docile, though in-form openers Ian Ward and Michael Powell anticipate a lively session when they encounter West Indies fast bowler Courtney Walsh and his new ball partner Franklyn Rose.

Rose missed out on the recent tour of Australia and has been spending time training at his farm in the north of Jamaica and while the West Indies team's reputation is in tatters, Walsh remains one of the most feared bowlers in the world, especially on home turf.

But England A coach Peter Moores says his players are relishing the prospect of facing the best side in the Caribbean over the next four days.

"Courtney is the best there is and Rose is getting better – they have a very good opening attack but the lads are looking forward to the challenge. Our top order has played well and although we are expecting some pace early on, we don't know how long it will last because the ball goes soft quite quickly," he said.

"Ian Ward has made a lot of runs but I don't feel he is due a failure as some are saying. Like all top-class batsmen, he knows how to churn out the runs and he is as hungry now as he was when he started."

After their draw in Barbados, England A have dropped to equal third in the competition and Moores is acutely aware that 18 points are needed over the remaining three round matches if they are to qualify for the semi-finals.

While game plans to date have focused on securing first innings points, the strategy against Jamaica will be to go all out to bowl them out twice.

"It will be difficult getting 20 wickets on this pitch but we have to find a way of opening up games to achieve outright wins. We will look to be very disciplined but if a partnership develops we will look to experiment, to try and make the ball do a little bit more. Both seamers and spinners will be equally important."

He and his fellow selectors, skipper Mark Alleyne and vice-captain John Crawley, have a fully fit bowling attack to pick from and with the exception of Paul Franks, who has struggled to find his rhythm, all the seamers are fresh and in form.

Graeme Swann who replaced off-spinner Jason Brown, has recovered from his rib injury and is expected to play but the balance of the attack will be decided after an inspection of the pitch later today.

Leicestershire batsman Aftab Habib had a cortisone injection on his shoulder while the squad were in Barbados but, after netting yesterday, he pronounced himself only 80 per cent fit which will rule him out of the vital Kingston tie.

© CricInfo Ltd


Teams England.
Players/Umpires Courtney Walsh, Franklyn Rose, Ian Ward, Mark Alleyne, Graeme Swann, Aftab Habib.
Tours England 'A' in West Indies
Tournaments Busta Cup, 2000-01
Grounds Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica