ST JOHN'S: Two key players who helped West Indies draw the third Test against England on Thursday felt it was one of the team's finest performance in recent memory.
Ramnaresh Sarwan, who led the West Indies batting with his 13th Test hundred, a defiant 106, described the Test as "one of the best he has ever played in".
And Daren Powell, who batted agonisingly for 10 overs in a last wicket stand with Fidel Edwards to formalise the result, felt the entire match was a "test of character" for the home team.
Sarwan felt the draw justified the emotional roller-coaster on which the team been put through over the past week, following the aborted second Test at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.
"We knew we were up against it from the very first day when England got away to a pretty good start," he said.
"We knew how important it was to bat and occupy the crease. For me to bat and occupy the crease, and get a century was very pleasing.
"This Test match was up there for me. . . It is something that I will hold very dear to me the way we fought back."
"With two Test matches left, and the position in which we were, I know many people thought we would have lost it. But for us, this result is a victory."
Powell said the rest of the team felt that they could not let down Sarwan and compatriot Shivnarine Chanderpaul, after they shared 148 for the fourth wicket to put West Indies in a position to draw the match.
"When we saw the way Sars and Shiv batted in the second innings, there was total consensus from everybody else in our team that everyone that came behind them had to make sure we did not let them down," he said.
"Sarwan played a brilliant innings, and for us to back it up, we needed to draw this Test match."
He added: "We won the Test in Jamaica with a day to spare. We did not expect it, but we did, and coming into this game, Tuesday was the only day we had practice. After that it was total chaos.
"But we came to the Antigua Recreation Ground for this Test, and we toiled away. . .But this result has proven to us that if we go out there and fight every day, we can do the job."
Sarwan hoped West Indies can avoid a similar situation in the fourth Test at Kensington Oval in Barbados, starting next Thursday, and can put themselves in a formidable position to win the match from early.
"It is important that we get ourselves mentally ready and physically too, because I think this game took a lot out of us," he said.
"The good thing is that we have a couple days to rest and to regroup, and get ourselves ready for Barbados.
"It is important that we do not find ourselves in this situation again or else it might be difficult to get out of it again, so it is important that we go into that Test and try to hold the upper hand from early."
Before the series, Powell predicted that West Indies would win 3-0, and he feels this is still possible.
Soruce:http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Windies-heroes-Powell-Sarwan-hail-drawn-Test/articleshow/4161070.cms
Ramnaresh Sarwan, who led the West Indies batting with his 13th Test hundred, a defiant 106, described the Test as "one of the best he has ever played in".
And Daren Powell, who batted agonisingly for 10 overs in a last wicket stand with Fidel Edwards to formalise the result, felt the entire match was a "test of character" for the home team.
Sarwan felt the draw justified the emotional roller-coaster on which the team been put through over the past week, following the aborted second Test at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.
"We knew we were up against it from the very first day when England got away to a pretty good start," he said.
"We knew how important it was to bat and occupy the crease. For me to bat and occupy the crease, and get a century was very pleasing.
"This Test match was up there for me. . . It is something that I will hold very dear to me the way we fought back."
"With two Test matches left, and the position in which we were, I know many people thought we would have lost it. But for us, this result is a victory."
Powell said the rest of the team felt that they could not let down Sarwan and compatriot Shivnarine Chanderpaul, after they shared 148 for the fourth wicket to put West Indies in a position to draw the match.
"When we saw the way Sars and Shiv batted in the second innings, there was total consensus from everybody else in our team that everyone that came behind them had to make sure we did not let them down," he said.
"Sarwan played a brilliant innings, and for us to back it up, we needed to draw this Test match."
He added: "We won the Test in Jamaica with a day to spare. We did not expect it, but we did, and coming into this game, Tuesday was the only day we had practice. After that it was total chaos.
"But we came to the Antigua Recreation Ground for this Test, and we toiled away. . .But this result has proven to us that if we go out there and fight every day, we can do the job."
Sarwan hoped West Indies can avoid a similar situation in the fourth Test at Kensington Oval in Barbados, starting next Thursday, and can put themselves in a formidable position to win the match from early.
"It is important that we get ourselves mentally ready and physically too, because I think this game took a lot out of us," he said.
"The good thing is that we have a couple days to rest and to regroup, and get ourselves ready for Barbados.
"It is important that we do not find ourselves in this situation again or else it might be difficult to get out of it again, so it is important that we go into that Test and try to hold the upper hand from early."
Before the series, Powell predicted that West Indies would win 3-0, and he feels this is still possible.
Soruce:http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Windies-heroes-Powell-Sarwan-hail-drawn-Test/articleshow/4161070.cms
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