Perry: No time for complacency

With series wins against Sri Lanka in the T20 and One-Day International (ODI) formats secured, former national cricketer Nehemiah Perry says that it is no time for West Indies to get complacent in the upcoming Test series which begins on Sunday in Antigua.

The team will be led by newly appointed captain Kraigg Brathwaite, who takes over from Jason Holder, who has been included in the squad. With several players not available for the tour of Bangladesh, Brathwaite was given the Test captaincy for that series which the West Indies won 2-0. He said that despite the win the team needs to ensure that they produce the same type of performance against a top-ranked side.

"I just hope that we can put it together again, refocus and get a good win against a higher-ranked team than Bangladesh," Perry told STAR Sports.

Sri Lanka have had personnel challenges throughout the tour so far, with some players not being able to make the trip because of COVID-19 concerns, and recently ODI captain Angelo Matthews returned home early because of personal reasons. However, citing their own squad selection ahead of the Bangladesh tour, Perry says that the West Indies need to ensure they maintain the same approach which saw great results.

"I think that [Sri Lanka] have a quality enough team to compete. What we get in front of us we have to play against. When we went to Bangladesh a number of players backed out, but maybe it was a blessing and persons don't go down and relax and think that it is a holiday," Perry said. "It's really to play cricket and to play cricket for the West Indies and representing yourself and your family and your region."

National middle-order batsman Nkrumah Bonner, who was named man of the series against Bangladesh, as well as Kyle Mayers and Joshua Da Silva are among those that have been retained for the Sri Lanka series. The trio made their Test debuts against Bangladesh in February.