COLOMBO, Nov 6: West Indies manager Ricky Skerritt Tuesday brushed aside security concerns surrounding his team’s three-Test series in Sri Lanka.

Skerritt said he was satisfied the team would be safe despite concerns over Tamil rebel attacks, violence related to next month’s elections and global fear following the Sept 11 terrorist strikes on the United States.

“I am confident that the tour will be comfortable and rewarding,” Skerritt said.

The biggest concern for the team was an inadequate preparation after heavy rain washed out their first practice match.

The West Indies and Sri Lanka have played just three matches since Sri Lanka gained Test status in 1982.

Sri Lanka hosted a one-off Test in 1993-94 and then toured the West Indies for two Tests three seasons later.

The tourists will head for the southern town of Matara Wednesday for a three-day match before the first Test, starting at Galle Nov 13.

They will then clash with the hosts and Zimbabwe in a triangular one-day series beginning next month.

Doubts were initially raised over the tour following the Sept 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington and the subsequent US reprisals in Afghanistan.

Suicide bomb attacks in Sri Lanka, which killed 13 people ahead of the Dec 5 parliamentary elections, compounded the security fears.—AFP