AUCKLAND, New Zealand, CMC – West Indies head coach Phil Simmons said he would love to see his side improve in all areas when they face New Zealand “A” in a four-day, first-class tour match, starting tomorrow (6 p.m. today – East Caribbean Time).
Simmons said the side played fairly well against the same opposition in a three-day, warm-up match, which ended last Sunday at John Davies Oval, the same venue for this four-day match.
But, Simmons said, they needed to step up with the countdown now on to the start of the two-Test series against the Blackcaps.
“We need to see the same thing again with the batsmen,” he said. “The big partnerships. The big scores. And, maybe, a few more players getting big scores and getting time at the wicket. That is most important in this game.
“But, at the end of the four days, the best thing that can happen is that we win the game, so that we go into the (first) Test with that kind of confidence behind us.”
Simmons said: “For me, those are the important things. The bowlers they continue to step up every time we go into a Test match, so I am not too worried about the bowlers.
“But we need some big scores from the batsmen, so I will be looking to see if that happens in this four-day game.”
Simmons said it was heartening to see the cream of the Windies batting spend valuable time at the crease during the warm-up match.
Left-hander Darren Bravo led the way with 135, Shamarh Brooks supported with 80, opener Kraigg Brathwaite made 47 and vice-captain Roston Chase added 42 in a West Indies first innings total of 366.
But the Windies head coach said he wanted to see the batsmen continue to trend in that direction, and for left-handed opener John Campbell and compatriot Jermaine Blackwood to show a similar level of application.
“I think (for Campbell and Blackwood) it is about spending time at the crease,” he said.
“The good thing about the first game we played is that Bravo, Brathwaite, Brooks and Chase, they all spent time at the crease.”
He said: “In this (second) game, it is about spending time at the crease…I am looking at the time the batsmen spend at the crease and how they control their innings, and this is what I am looking for from John and Blackwood in this four-day game.
“I will be one of the happiest men in the World if we can continue with the partnerships and the time at the crease. The scores will come because we have batsmen with talent. But it’s about understanding that you have to spend time out there to score the runs we need, to get to 400, 450 and so on. I would be extremely happy if that happens.”
Simmons said he believed there was now real competition for places in the West Indies Test batting line-up and incumbents were now under pressure to perform at a high level consistently.
“I do not know about last chances for anybody,” he said. “I think it is case where everybody is under pressure.
“We are getting more and more a group of batsmen fighting for four or five places. Within that group – with Hetmyer coming back in after missing the England Tour, and Bravo coming back in and Shai Hope is not here – you are getting a group that is fighting for three positions or four positions, as the case may be.”
He said: “There will be pressure on (the batsmen) to perform and that’s what we want. We need the performances, and if you perform, you will be there.
“And the performances we are talking about is hundreds, big hundreds that’s what we keep singing to the players. We need that kind of performance from this team.”
The West Indies side will be boosted by the arrival of Test captain, Jason Holder for the match.
The World-rated all-rounder is scheduled to leave managed isolation under New Zealand’s COVID-19 protocols tomorrow.
Simmons said he will be included in the final 11 for the four-day match, but he will arrive around tea on the first day.
The first Test between New Zealand and West Indies starts on December 3 at Seddon Park in Hamilton, and the second Test begins on December 11 at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.
Squads:
NEW ZEALAND “A” (from): Cole McConchie (captain), Joe Carter, Dane Cleaver, Henry Cooper, Jacob Duffy, Ken McClure, Henry Nicholls, Michael Rae, Rachin Ravindra, Michael Rippon, Ben Sears, Sean Solia, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Will Young.
WEST INDIES (from): Jason Holder (captain), Jermaine Blackwood, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, John Campbell, Roston Chase, Rahkeem Cornwall, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Chemar Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach. Reserves: Joshua da Silva, Nkrumah Bonner, Preston McSween, Shayne Moseley, Raymon Reifer, Jayden Seales.