COLOMBO, CMC:
WEST INDIES captain, Carl Hooper, has bemoaned the abandonment of his side's opening tour match against Sri Lanka-A at the Nondescripts Cricket Club as a second straight day of monsoon rains washed out the last day of their three-day, first-class match yesterday.
There was beautiful weather throughout the opening day that allowed West Indies to reach 334 for seven with Hooper leading the way with 117 and three other batsmen - Marlon Samuels, Brian Lara and Chris Gayle - getting meaningful runs.
November and December are typically the monsoon months in Sri Lanka and the rains swept across the ground over the last two days of the match to leave large pools of water strewn across the outfield.
"We can't do anything about the weather and we are just hoping that the weather improves for our final practice match in Matara," Hooper said.
"We really wanted to play the last two days of this match, with the Test series not being far away. The bowlers really need to have a proper run-out so that they can get used to the pitches and the humidity."
West Indies face another Sri Lanka-A selection in a three-day, first-class fixture, starting on Thursday, and it will be their final warm-up prior to the opening Test at Galle, starting on November 13.
The visitors will pray for better weather for this match to gain valuable match practice ahead of the Test.
