The Windies are here
THE West Indies cricket team is relishing postquarantine life in Queenstown as they prepare for two warmup games in the resort.
Nearly 40 players and staff, comprising the test squad and about half the T20 squad, arrived in the resort on Friday for a 17day stay.
They got straight into training on Saturday and yesterday to prepare for two games against New Zealand A at John Davies Oval at the Queenstown Events Centre: a threeday match beginning on Friday and a fourday match beginning on November 26.
Some players took the chance to play a round of golf at Millbrook Resort on Saturday, while the group enjoyed dinner at a central Queenstown restaurant in the evening.
Team manager Rawl Lewis said the players had been itching for outdoor training after spending 14 days in isolation in Christchurch, so the resort was a ‘‘breath of fresh air’’.
‘‘Queenstown is one of the most beautiful places on earth, and coming out of the quarantine facility, and getting a bit of freedom so to speak, we’re very happy to be here.’’
The last time the team played in the resort, nearly seven years ago, there was snow on the mountains, so the warm weekend weather had come as a surprise, Lewis said.
‘‘Just being in this beautiful facility, and for the boys to practise in the outdoors — do what they love doing and do what they came here to do — we’re very happy.
‘‘We’re looking forward to some games, getting a feel of the conditions, and there are a lot of new players for whom this is their first time to New Zealand, so we want to give them the opportunity to see how the pitches play.’’
New Zealand A will assemble in Queenstown on Wednesday.