KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Head coach Phil Simmons has remained upbeat West Indies can still draw the two-Test series against Australia, and has pleaded for patience with a side still trying to find their way in Test cricket.
West Indies suffered a demoralising nine-wicket defeat inside three days in the opening Test in Dominica last week to fall behind in the series, and now face a difficult challenge in the second Test at Sabina Park starting here Thursday, against an Aussie side brimming with confidence.
Simmons said, however, that the Windies morale had not been dented by the heavy loss and were anxiously looking forward to the upcoming contest.
“It’s still an open series. We still can draw the series. It is not over yet. It is a two-match series and we’re looking to win the game in order to draw the series,” a bullish Simmons told media here Tuesday.
“We just need to bat properly in the first innings. The first innings sets up everything. If we bat properly in the first innings and we get to 350-400 we have seen that our bowlers can put people under pressure, and we need to take all of our catches.
“I think that was one of the differences in the last game, Australia didn’t drop a catch … and we dropped a couple of catches at crucial times so those are the two things we need to improve on.”
West Indies produced a timid first innings performance at Windsor Park to be dismissed for 148 and then allowed Australia recover from 126 for six in reply, to reach 318 all out.
Behind by 170 runs on first innings, West Indies then collapsed from 181 for three to 216 all out, and the Aussies strolled to their victory target of 47.
Despite the performance, Simmons said the West Indian public needed to stand by the team as they were good signs on the horizon.
“It’s still the West Indies cricket team that is playing and it’s young team that’s trying to get forward in Test cricket,” Simmons pointed out.
“We keep looking at things and saying we don’t want to come out because we lost the last match but how many people commended us when we won the Test match before that [against England]. You have to come out and support your team and that’s the way I see it.”
He continued: “There’s been a lot of improvements. You’ve got to understand that from where you’re coming from, you have to climb the ladder step by step and sometimes you’re going to go backward a little but before you get to where you want, so there have been a couple backward steps.
“The Grenada [Test] was a backward step, the way we batted first innings in the last one was [a backward step] but the guys are working hard and we’re trying to move forward so I’ve been happy with what’s been happening off the field.”
Simmons reiterated that the first defeat would not have an adverse effect on the Windies going forward.
“A defeat is a defeat. We beat England in three days too [and] they went back and won the next Test match [against New Zealand] so it is how you take it. The morale in the team has been great and the guys are looking forward to the next Test match.”
