What a victory! West Indies’ brilliant performance against England in the first Test at Kensington Oval, Barbados will long be acclaimed, remembered and treasured by generations of West Indians.
The players displayed immense talent, outstanding teamwork, and exceptional self-discipline and self-motivation. But, in assessing this outstanding performance, one must wonder why this latent talent is so rarely displayed.
England’s coaches and players must be in a state of shock following their team’s capitulation and emasculation. The players’ self-confidence took a big hit. Identifying the reasons for the team’s unforced errors, poor judgment and substandard execution must be the coach’s first important priority. In such circumstances, coaches and players tend to focus exclusively on technique, especially technical mistakes. But the real answers are not usually found there. The players didn’t suddenly lose their technical skills during the game; they just expressed them poorly.