Windies shrug off IPL effect

West Indies coach John Dyson shrugged off the Indian Premier League absences of skipper Chris Gayle and pace spearhead Fidel Edwards as the Caribbean side looked ahead to their Test series against England.

Both Gayle and Edwards will not link up with the touring party until May 2, but former Australian batsman Dyson does not believe the absence of the captain will be a handicap and reckons it will be a challenge for acting skipper Denesh Ramdin.

"Ramdin is an experienced cricketer now and I think this will do his cricket the world of good as well, giving him the responsibility to lead the team and test out his captaincy skills. I am not all that worried about that," said Dyson.

Fellow experienced players Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Jerome Taylor have been given a little extra time to recuperate after winter injury niggles and will only fly in for the game with Essex at Chelmsford starting on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the West Indies, who beat England 1-0 in the Test series in the Caribbean earlier this years, begin their tour on Monday with a warm-up against Leicestershire.

The first Test starts at Lord's on May 6.

LONDON, Monday, AFP