Windies teens breeze into Bay

It might have taken them almost three days to get here, but the junior Calypso Kings are backing themselves to quickly work any rust out of the system and give the ICC under-19 World Cup in New Zealand a decent shake.
The West Indies arrived in Tauranga on Sunday, where they will play and train for a week before the start of the tournament in 10 days.
After winning the plate final in Malaysia two years ago and making the championship final two years before that, coach Andre Coley and manager Omar Khan are tipping the West Indies to do well.
"We've got the team to win, but cricket is all about assessing situations and applying certain levels of intelligence, and sometimes cricketers of any age aren't known for their intelligence," said Khan, who is also manager of the West Indies senior team and says he's "seen it all".
After a light workout yesterday at the Bay Oval, they will have a heavier session today before 50-over games at the Bay Oval (tomorrow) and Blake Park (Friday) against the Northern Districts A team. ND A are bolstered by contracted players Trent Boult, Graeme Aldridge, Brad Wilson and Michael Parlane. Both games are at 10.30am.
Khan said many of the side had never travelled overseas,  making their 50-hour journey across the globe via Barbados, London and Hong Kong doubly taxing.
"Most of these players aren't used to playing out of West Indies.
"Some play in English league clubs but for many this is their first time away from Caribbean."
Almost half the side come from the national under-19 champion Jamaican side, with most of the rest from Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Guyana.
There are four from the Leeward and Windward Islands, with one, Nelson Bolan, hailing from the tiny island of Anguilla - just 26km x 5km in size, population 6000. Khan said drawing together players from the many islands that make up the West Indies wasn't an issue.
"We have an abundance of talent but the challenge is to harness the potential we have and developing these guys into professional cricketers so they transition from this level to the international stage," he said.
"Because of our wide demographic area and limited financial resources in the area, the major challenge is to have continual development programmes."
Khan said it was likely several of the players in Tauranga would be full internationals within three  years, following the likes of Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul and Dwayne Bravo, who all played in the 2008 under-19 World Cup.
Captain Andre Creary was called into the senior West Indies squad for the series against Bangladesh last year following the player impasse with the controlling board.
"Andre's scored heavily at regional first class level and possesses plenty of that West Indies ability and attacking style," Khan said. "Kraigg Braithwaite, who is just 17 and still at school, has recorded over 21 first class hundreds for Barbados.
"He has fantastic concentration and you'll be hearing a lot of him in the future."
Akeem Dewal is 2m  tall  and a spin bowler in the vein of Sulieman Benn.
Quick bowling allrounder Jason Holder is the cousin of Vanburn Holder, who played 40 tests and 12 one-dayers for the West Indies in the 1960s and 70s.
Coley backs Khan's belief that they have the side to lift the silverware. "We have players with ability ... (but) the main strength of this side is team unity and self-belief."

West Indies round off their preparation with official tournament warm-up matches against Ireland and Australia in Christchurch before group matches against Pakistan, Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea in Palmerston North.