I arrived in Pakistan with a stomach bug which I picked up just before the final of the ICC Champions Trophy. That put me out of action and practice for a couple of days. I haven’t really had a chance to do much fitness work but I will be ready for the first test starting on Saturday. I had a hit in the nets today (Friday) and I felt okay and I am looking forward to tomorrow.
The conditions are different from India; it’s a bit overcast and the Pakistanis are a dangerous side at home. It will be very challenging first up. It will be additionally challenging for me with the games starting as early as 9:30am. We are coming from two months of playing games that started at 2:30pm and I got sort of accustomed to that. I will now have to be up from 7:30am and that will be difficult because I am not accustomed to getting up so early. But I am a professional; that is what I am here to do so I have to do it.
From a team point of view, all the guys are looking comfortable and they are also looking forward to the game ahead. This first Test is key for us; hopefully we can make it a good one to try and start off well.
A lot has been said about Pakistan by many people but so far Pakistan looks very good to me and we have settled in nicely. The facilities are great and the hotel is fantastic. In fact it has been the best hotel we have stayed at on this tour so far.
The way some people speak of Pakistan you can understand why a lot of cricketers think that they would not look forward to coming here but being here is a totally different experience. The place is lovely, Lahore is a very nice city and the people have taken excellent care of us. We are aware that the cricket will not be easy but we have to enjoy each and every day that we are here and I think it would be fun. I am very impressed with Pakistan so far since this is my first time here.
On a personal note I have to mention how honoured I am to win the ICC Champions Trophy Man-of-the-Tournament award. I think the manner which I batted during the tournament really motivated me to work harder at my game. That’s one-day cricket; it's tough and not only do I want to do well in ODI cricket but in Tests, too. It would be nice to contribute to the team in both forms of the game.
I have to commend my team-mates for the support throughout. They were always there for me and in the end we played well as a team but it was unfortunate in the final. We have to put that behind us and for the three test matches against Pakistan. Obviously that is our main objective now.
I did a bit of shopping yesterday. I went along with some of the boys for a trip to the mall. The security here, for obvious reasons, has been very intense and we had a huge security crew join us on the trip especially since there was a large group of people who basically followed us around for autographs and photos. The security is very tight, not even an ant can get through these guys here.
Extremely adept at pummeling the opposition into submission, Chris Gayle is as cool and calm as opening batsmen come. He even goes by the nickname ‘Verucci’ – part Versace, part Gucci – because of his interest in fashion.
One of mainstays of the West Indian cricket team, Ramnaresh Sarwan is a technically accomplished batsman possessing a wide range of classy strokes.
He was appointed captain following the retirement of Brian Lara after the 2007 World Cup.
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