KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC- West Indies Cricket coach Otis Gibson says he is deeply inspired by his side’s recent series win against New Zealand in all three formats of the game.
The Caribbean side returned to series winning ways after defeating New Zealand in their two test matches, five match one day series and the two twenty-20 fixtures.
Gibson says the recent wins against the black caps, which pulled West Indies out of the doldrums, are a source of encouragement for him.
“It feels very good. It feels sweet to win two Test matches in a row is a good achievement, something we have not done in a while” said Gibson who started work as the Windies’ Head Coach in March 2010.
“If you look back at this series – the T20s and the One-Dayers and the Tests – you will have to agree that we dominated all three formats”. The West Indies completed a clean sweep of the Digicel Test Series beating New Zealand by six wickets in Jamaica after an emphatic nine-wicket win in Antigua.
Earlier, the West Indies easily won both matches in the Digicel T20 Series in Florida and followed up with a 4-1 result in the five-match Digicel One-Day Series.
“It gives you the belief in what you’re doing to say, yes, actually you are on the right track”said Gibson.
“This win certainly gives me the confidence in what I’m doing and the determination to keep doing it and press forward.”
The 2-0 Test series win was the West Indies’ first since they beat Bangladesh 1-0 away from home last October.
The last home series win was against England in 2009 when Chris Gayle’s team won 1-0 to take the prestigious Wisden Trophy.
“I am very proud of Darren Sammy and the boys with the way they played in all three formats against New Zealand”said team manager Richie Richardson.
“The hard works, the dedication, the sacrifice and the desire to improve have paid dividends”.
The WICB has said that the team “has demonstrated steady improvement” and credited both Gibson and Richardson for playing a crucial role in its ongoing development.
“These are some of the building blocks as we look to build a strong West Indies team” said Richardson, a former West Indies captain and batting legend who joined the regional side as Team Manager in January 2011.
“Lots of credit must also be given to Coach Gibson and the entire management staff, who are all contributing to the development of a strong West Indies Team.”