PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, (CMC) - Former Trinidad and Tobago and West Indies opening batsman, Joey Carew, has cautioned the regional cricketers not to take the Zimbabwe lightly on their forthcoming African tour.
The West Indian cricketers were due to leave Antigua yesterday for Harare via London at the conclusion of a three-day camp.
The Brian Lara-led 16-member West Indies squad will play two Tests and five One-Day Internationals against Zimbabwe.
“I hope that the West Indies cricketers do not take the Zimbabweans lightly, as we have seen their performances in the current Test series against world champions Australia have been commendable,” Carew said.
Although the Africans lost the series 2-0, there were several good individuals performances.
Carew felt that the West Indies might be tempted to get complacent and approach the series as a warm-up before facing the highly rated South Africans.
“They have to guard against that kind of attitude and play to their full potential even in that series or else the Zimbabwe team could surprise them,” he warned.
A long-serving member of the regional senior selection panel, Carew called for a concerted effort and commitment from all the stakeholders in regional cricket if the Windies are to continue their climb back up the cricketing ladder.
“For us to continue where we left off against Sri Lanka earlier year, and to win our first overseas Test series for quite a long time, it will need total commitment and dedication from all concerned,” Carew stated.
An ex-national captain, Carew emphasised that the selection committee, which also includes Sir Vivian Richards (chairman) and Gordon Greenidge, is happy with the composition of the squad, and hopeful that young speedsters --Jerome Taylor, Fidel Edwards and Ravi Rampaul mature to their expectations.
“If this happens, it will be a plus for regional cricket,” he said.
The West Indies will follow up their tour of Zimbabwe, with four Tests and another five ODIs in South Africa that will keep them away from home for another nine weeks.
The African safari ushers in 12 months of a very challenging schedule of international cricket for the West Indies.
Home series against England and Bangladesh follow between March and early June, before the players depart for England to play four Tests and two separate limited overs series.