(CMC) – Head coach of the West Indies’ Test team, Andre Coley believes his players will adjust to whatever conditions they face in the second Test against South Africa, which bowls off today here at Providence Stadium.
The two teams played to a draw in a rain-affected first Test at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad on a placid, flat pitch that offered little assistance to the bowlers.
Speaking ahead of today’s opening day, Coley said the West Indies were expecting different conditions in Guyana.
“Every Test match is different. We’ve moved to a different location, a different venue in Guyana so we obviously have to plan to suit based on the conditions that we expect here,” he said.
Reflecting on the first Test, Coley spoke about the performances of debutant Keacy Carty and pacer Jayden Seales.
Carty had knocks of 42 and 31, while Seales grabbed three wickets in South Africa’s first innings. “There’s been talk about Keacy for some time now. He featured in some ‘A’ team series prior to his inclusion in the first Test and the fact that he plays a similar role in the ODI side, we see it as a straightforward move,” Coley said.
“Yes, obviously we had Kirk McKenzie in that role at the time, but we just thought that Keacy’s inclusion was the right time, and you saw from his intent and how he went about things, that he looked quite comfortable.
“Obviously he has to find his footing, but we’re comfortable he can make that adjustment,” he added.
In relation to Seales, Coley said he had shown that he had necessary skills to become a world-class fast bowler.
“There’s no doubt that Jayden has a lot of talent. He’s been very good for Sussex in country cricket, he’s been good for us prior to injury and coming back from injury and he continues to learn.
“Having someone like Kemar [Roach] in the squad and Alzarri was there recently, and Jason [Holder], he has experience within the squad to actually tap into…and he’s constantly learning,” Coley said.
