DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, CMC – Batting coach Toby Radford said West Indies once again failed to adjust to conditions in yesterday’s second Twenty20 International, and need to find answers ahead of the final game on Tuesday.
For the second straight day, the reigning World champions found themselves completely outclassed by Pakistan, this time slumping to a 16-run defeat to surrender the three-match series.
Radford said his side’s batting performance had once again been “disappointing”, pointing out that it followed a similar trend to Friday’s nine wicket loss in the opening game.
“The first power-play today and yesterday were similar. [We were] five [wickets] down yesterday, three down in the first six [overs] today and I think the big difference when you looked at Pakistan in the first six they were 38 for one [in the opening game] and 39 for one one [today],” said the Englishman, who joined the side just before the series.
“Clearly the game plan from Pakistan has been to have slow wickets, bowl a lot of spin and have very big boundaries. The West Indies are known to be a big six-hitting and boundary-hitting side and normally play on slightly quicker pitches and slightly smaller outfields but it is up to us to find a way around that.”
Chasing 161 for victory at the Dubai International Stadium in order to level the series, West Indies never got going, slumping to 19 for three in the sixth over and then 89 for seven in the 16th.
Sunil Narine, batting at number nine, top-scored with 30 while Andre Fletcher scored a pedestrian 29 but they were the only two players to pass 20 as left-arm seamer Sohail Tanvir wrecked the top order with three for 13 from his four overs.
“I thought Sohail Tanvir bowled very well with the new ball tonight and picked up two wickets. I thought yesterday Imad (Wasim) picking up five wickets was very, very good,” Radford said.
“[They are] quality spin bowlers on pitches they are used to bowling on and they did a very good job. We didn’t find a way with the bat to combat that. It certainly wasn’t through a lack of effort by the players, they just found it very difficult. It’s disappointing.”
Radford was quick to praise Pakistan’s batting effort, which saw them tally 160 for four off their 20 overs after being sent in.
He said the hosts had shown the correct batting approach for the type of wicket they were faced with.
“Pakistan have bowled well and have actually fielded very well and when they batted, they showed that on a slow wicket and a big outfield it’s actually all about knocking the ball into gaps and doing a lot of running,” he explained.
“They ran a lot of twos which I think really stretched us and I don’t think it was ever going to be a game for lots of boundaries because I don’t think it was that type of surface or that type of outfield.”
