- RUDOLPH BROWN/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Brian Lara in a pensive mood during a press conference to launch the Digicel 2006 ODI series between West Indies and India at the Hilton hotel.
Audley Boyd, Assistant Sport Editor
AFTER LOSING the opening match of the series off the penultimate ball, West Indies captain Brian Lara believes that if his team fine-tunes its game then it could even the score at 1-1 in today's second Digicel one-day international against India at Sabina Park.
The West Indies, batting first, totalled 251 for six wickets, to which India paced themselves perfectly for Mohamed Kaif (66 not out) to hit the winning boundary and lift his team to 254 for five, with one ball remaining.
"First of all, the game is played over 90 overs and India needed every last bit of energy to beat us," the Windies skipper admitted in reference to the five-wicket loss in the game that was reduced to a 45-over-a-side contest due to a late start caused by rainy conditions.
"We need to work on a few things," he said, while speaking to reporters immediately after the game on Thursday.
"We had a few weaknesses in this game and I think we've a lot more to work on than the Indians ... and if we can get that together in the next 24 hours I'm almost sure that you'll see an improved performance from us.
"I'm not saying that there's not going to be an improved performance from the Indians, but we could take it to another level and hopefully we can get a victory," he added.
The master batsman singled out specific areas of their bowling and batting display which needed improvements.
"It came down to the last three overs or so. We had to be bowling a lot of extra balls ... a lot of wides and stuff like that so we've got to work on that as well."
A total of 11 wides and four no-balls were conceded by the Windies, who eventually con-ceded 23 extras. India accumulated 28 extras, including nine wides and five no-balls.
Additionally, Lara says the batting at the death fell short.
"We scored 29 in the last five overs and we weren't even bowled out, we expect a lot more than that. You expect 40-45 runs or anything above a run-a-ball."
Weather conditions have remained similar to the pattern leading into the first ODI, which saw Rahul Dravid - Man of the Match - winning the toss and sending in the opposition.
Lara, carefully steered away from excuses but admitted in the long run that drier conditions later aided the Indian batting.
He said: "I think it's a situation where because of the overnight rain you'd expect it had some sort of moisture in the pitch and as the game went on it played better. Although we got a good total, it actually played better throughout the day so India did benefit from the pitch drying out."
That matter of the coin could yet provide a major flip in the fortunes of Lara's Windies.
