DYSON CREDITS ENGLAND BATSMEN AS WINDIES TOIL

Thursday, May 14^th, 2009: The coach of the Digicel-sponsored West Indies team, John Dyson, credited England’s batsmen here Thursday after his bowlers were made to toil on day one of the second Test as centuries from opener Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara set up an imposing total of 302 for two.

“It was a tough day today, a very flat wicket and the England batsmen batted very, very well,” Dyson said after play. “I think our bowlers stuck to the task reasonably well all day. We bowled perhaps just a little wide and perhaps just a little short but we stuck at the job,” he added. “It’s just that the wicket is very flat and the England batsmen batted very well.”

Dyson said he expects another strong effort from his guys on the second day. “We just have to keep going. We’re trying to bowl the right areas and hope one of the few that was played and missed at that they might nick,” he said. “It was a terrific ball that Lionel Baker bowled Ravi on late today. Maybe if we get one or two of those in the morning we can grab a couple of wickets and make things a bit more uncomfortable.”

Dyson also outlined his team’s preparations coming into this match on the back of a humiliating three-day, ten-wicket loss at Lord’s last Friday. “There’s not that many days off between the games. We’ve been in the nets on both days, and extended the time in the nets for the batsmen,” he explained. “We’ve also spent a little more time with our fielding and changed the drills that