Sarwan Happy To Be Back In The Runs

Sarwan Happy To Be Back In The Runs

Ramnaresh Sarwan scored a half-century as the West Indies began their tour of Australia in Canberra

©REUTERS / Action Images

Batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan last played international cricket in June 2011 but following his recall for the tour of Australia he has wasted in no time in getting among the runs, scoring 83 against the Prime Minister's XI.

Both sides scored over 300 runs before the Prime Minister's XI won by 23 runs, although Sarwan says that regardless of the result, the game served its purpose as preparation for the five-match ODI series.

Speaking to WICB Media, Sarwan said: "We got what we really wanted from the game. It was good to get a feel of the conditions over here and get used to what we will have to encounter in the coming days. Generally it was a good outing. As a batting unit we did really well."

Sarwan came in at number three and overcame a slow start to score 83 in as many balls while Kieran Powell and Andre Russell also scored half-centuries for the tourists.

"I was a bit scratchy when I started my innings, but that was mainly due to the fact that I had it kind of rough when I played the Caribbean T20 tournament. I felt I needed to hang around a bit and be a bit patient...it paid off for me in the end," Sarwan said.

"It was my form that was the worry, it had nothing to do with the pitch. The pitch played really well, which was demonstrated by the fact that both teams scored over 300 runs. The fact that I was able to spend time at the crease helped a lot.

"It was important for me that I got a game before we start the One-Day Series for several reasons. I have been out for a while, I have not played any international cricket for a while so it was good for me to get this game under my belt and I’m looking to take it forward from here," he added.

The first game in the series in Perth on Friday (1st February), and is swiftly followed by the second game two days later.

© Cricket World 2013