Andrew Downton reflects on first Tour Match

Bowling coach Andrew Downton comments on the performance of the boys over the last couple of days.

'I thought it was not too bad for a first outing. We did not have any practice time before the game because of the weather, so Wednesday was really the first hit outdoors for the batsmen. The pitch was better than we expected, but it was still a little slow and not easy for shot making. I thought Dawson and Jonathan Wells played nicely, and got some good middle time under their belts. Some of the shots played were loose but rustiness is to be expected at this stage.

'On the first evening I was impressed with the bowling of Adam and Nathan in particular, who bowled genuinely quick and hurried the batsmen on more than one occasion. With the injury to Damien Wright, and with Hilfy being at the Twenty20 World Cup, we are looking hard at the pace bowling resources. Having said that, the bowling on Thursday was not of the required standard, Xavier apart, and generally we bowled too short. The ball did not swing much at all, despite the cloud cover, but we should not need to rely on that, and they scored far too quickly. Both du Plessis and Shankar were comfortable on the back foot and we fed them there. Having said that, they both payed exceptionally well, and they look like fine players. They had the better of the conditions on Thursday, but you have to give them credit. But it was a good experience for the younger guys to play with the more experienced members of the squad.

'I think by the time of the next game we will be in better shape thanks to a long day in the field. It has got some valuable playing time in, especially for the bowlers ahead of a long Pura Cup season.'