Consistency the key for West Indies - Sarwan

Gearing up for his side's first practice match against Queensland on October 27, Ramnaresh Sarwan, captain for the contest, has spoken of his excitement at facing Australia in the forthcoming Test series. Sarwan, 25, was speaking to reporters at the end of an arduous practice and fitness session at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane.

After the session, Sarwan said, "We've started to put in some tough work from today, and we need to up the ante and ensure that we are fully prepared [for] the first Test. I'm looking forward to an exciting time for our young team. Everyone knows that we are a very talented unit but we have to be more consistent in doing the basic things right. 'Consistency' is one of our main watchwords."

The match against Queensland will be their only warm-up game ahead of the first Test, at Brisbane, from November 3. Spearheading the bowling will be Fidel Edwards, the 23-year-old fast bowler, who struck a warning to Australia's batsmen: "Physically, this is the best I've felt for quite a while, and I'm anxious to get out there and play Test cricket and reap success. We are here to win, to beat Australia and I'll do my best to help the team to achieve this goal."

The tourists also welcomed Chris Gayle and Wavell Hinds, and Bennett King, the West Indies coach, was impressed with their enthusiasm and energy, despite all their travelling.

"All of us on the management team and all the players are excited to see both Chris (Gayle) and Wavell (Hinds) and I know they are aware of the tough task at hand in preparing for this three-Test series against Australia," King said. "They certainly showed a lot of enthusiasm and energy for guys who have just travelled across the world and that's good to see."