Vizag readies for cricket feast

Visakhapatnam: Visakhapatnam is in for a cricket feast, albeit at the junior level. It is the colts who will take centre-stage when India “A” and New Zealand “A” clash with each other in the newly-laid wicket at the Visakhapatnam Port Stadium here on Wednesday.

The pitch has been affected because of the heavy downpour in the past few days that has drenched the lush green dotting the newly designed out-field. Talking to the media after inspecting the pitch and having a round at the nets, New Zealand ‘A’ captain Tom Latham and head coach Grant Bradburn appeared confident of a good showing by their boys.

“We have been looking forward to play qualitatively good cricket in India. This experience will be useful to our players,” they said.

Latham said that they had come fully prepared. ‘We have practiced intensely in the past couple of weeks prior to our departure from Auckland. ‘He said that Test cricket was the best format and an ideal preparatory ground for youngsters knocking on the doors of big time cricket.

“We are focused and will settle for nothing less than a victory. We will take everything on a match by match basis”.

Bradburn pointed out that the task was cut out for the spinners given the nature of the tracks here. He hoped that the youngsters would seize the initiative and stake a claim for national berths. He said that the series would help them identify their strengths and weaknesses on foreign soil.

Host team coach, Sanjay Bangar and skipper Abhishek Nayar said that the frontline batsmen were in rollicking form and this augured well for them. They also hoped that Indian youngsters would try to make a mark and get noticed by the national selectors.