GALLE, Sri Lanka, CMC – West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite said yesterday that, for the most part, the batsmen failed to deliver in the Test series against Sri Lanka in which the regional side was whitewashed.
Speaking after West Indies lost the second and final Test here by 164 runs, Brathwaite stressed, as he had prior to the start of the series, that they needed the discipline to bat for longer periods.
“Batting-wise we let ourselves down. We just didn’t get big enough totals to cause any pressure on Sri Lanka,” the skipper said when asked what he believed went wrong in the series.
Very few West Indies batsmen put on significant totals in the series as the Sri Lankan spin bowling did damage. Nkrumah Bonner made the most runs – 148 – over the two matches, followed by the captain who contributed 119 and Jermaine Blackwood who got a total of 109 runs.
Brathwaite, however, gave credit to a few of his side’s batsmen as well as the bowlers.
“All the bowlers put in a good effort and we saw some good batting from Bonner and Joshua [Da Silva] and those are positives we can take. It’s just as batsmen to do it for longer periods.
“It was good to see [Veerasammy] Permaul coming back in after a couple years and getting his first five-wicket haul. I think all the spinners really put in a big effort – Roston [Chase] getting a five-for, [Jomel] Warrican getting a four-for and the fast bowlers put in the effort on spinner-friendly conditions.”
West Indies are set to face England in the Caribbean in a five-match T20I series in January next year, followed by a three-Test series in March.
Brathwaite said it was important for the batsmen to get it right by then.
“Really and truly it all boils down to having the discipline and doing it for long periods. I don’t think it would change in terms of spin-friendly conditions in the Caribbean…. I think it’s to have that discipline throughout to bat for longer periods. We are showing we could do it, but we’re just not doing it for long enough,” the skipper said.
Chasing 297 for victory in the second Test at the Galle International Stadium yesterday after Sri Lanka declared on 345 for 9, West Indies suffered a batting collapse which saw them lose their last eight wickets for 40 runs, being dismissed for 132 in 56 overs.
Spinners Ramesh Mendis and Lasith Embuldeniya took five wickets each to propel their team to the win. Left-arm spinner Permaul, who had made a career-best haul during Sri Lanka’s first innings, had the best bowling figures of 3-106 while off-spinner Chase took 2-82.
West Indies had lost the first match by 187 runs, and therefore failed to get any of the World Test Championship points that were up for grabs, with all 12 going to the hosts.