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The Digicel-sponsored West Indies cricket team completed the first of three test matches against Sri Lanka on Friday – with a draw against the ICC World number three team. In an interview with www.digicelcricket.com, Digicel-sponsored all-rounder, Darren Sammy – who had his first run as team Captain this week – says; “The team are back on form – it’s been a great start for us. When we left home, we left with a winning mindset. We had some good preparation in camp in Barbados where we put in some hard work for the series. As a result, this week we come out of a winning drought, if you like. Our performance in the first test – the manner in which we played and the results – shows we prepared properly. Our confidence came through and we’ve shown we can play.

“For my first run as Captain, I’m enjoying it very much. I’ve always said that captaining any team is an honour – but especially so when it’s being the Captain of an international team. The guys have made my job a little easier in terms of how they executed the plans for the tour so far. It’s exciting and challenging but I’m ready for it. My sponsor since 2007, Digicel, have been supportive and the boys have been behind me all the way. The more senior boys in particular have been great – I can’t stop commending them for their efforts.

“Chris [Gayle] in particular has had a great week. We all know what he is capable of and, before we came out here, he said he would support the team in any way he could. What better way to show his support than this wonderful performance? He was instrumental in picking the team and in our performance this week and I hope we continue this form for the rest of the tour.

“Our reception so far in Sri Lanka has been great. Obviously Sri Lanka is a massive cricketing nation and they’ve just beaten Australia in the ODI so the hype around cricket is high and there’s quite a lot of attention on the series as a result. After this week, I think the fans are looking forward to us maintaining our form. They have a good knowledge and appreciation of the game so the fans want to see us perform at our best – which naturally makes for some entertaining cricket for them. For us, it’s good to be in an atmosphere where the fans make us feel welcome, where they understand the game and have a real interest. As a result, we’re relaxed and when we’re relaxed, we go out and perform.

“Looking forward for the rest of the tour, we want to maintain the form we’ve shown so far. We have demonstrated our commitment and dedication and now we need to continue improving on various aspects of the game as well as maintain consistency. I would encourage the team to maintain the momentum and continue to be hungry to win,” he concluded.

The series includes three Test Matches, five One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and one Twenty20 (T20) match. The tour takes place across five of Sri Lanka’s most famous cricket stadiums from November 15th – December 21st.