WI vs IRE LIVE: West Indies coach Phil Simmons has accepted that his side has a batting problem and this needs to be sorted out soon if the side from the Caribbean wants to win more matches.
WI vs IRE LIVE: Simmons’ remark comes in the wake of the Windies’ shock ODI series loss against Ireland. The Kieron Pollard-led side suffered a 1-2 series defeat against Ireland on home soil. “It’s there to see: our batting quality is not there. Everything comes from lower down: if you’re coming into our squad and you’re averaging 30s when you come to the top level, you’re not going to average 40 or 50. The holistic approach means that all through the ranks, all the way from the Under-19s, we have to be looking at preparing people to play at the international level.
Averaging 20s and 30s at the domestic level doesn’t prepare you for the international level,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Simmons as saying.
IRE beat WI: Ireland record historic series win over West Indies
WI vs IRE LIVE: Phil Simmons accepts that Windies’ batting quality is not up to the mark
“How much the players are assessing the situation and playing the situation… it’s not really happening. Yes, Sabina Park was a difficult pitch to bat on for all three days at the start of the innings, but we got through most of the difficult period and then things went astray. It’s about bad shot selection … that’s a huge part of the batting failure,” he added.
In the three ODIs, West Indies managed to score 269, 229 and 212 and skipper Kieron Pollard- had termed the scores in the last two ODIs as totally unacceptable.
“If I start worrying about my job then I have problems. I am worrying about the success of the team and I am worrying about how we get players to be playing their roles. That’s all I’m concerned about. You’re always under pressure as coaches when the team’s not doing well, in any sport you play, and when the team is doing well, the coaches are forgotten. That’s the nature of the job,” said Simmons.
WI vs IRE LIVE: Phil Simmons accepts that Windies’ batting quality is not up to the mark
“I enjoy it everyday. My role is seeing the players and working with them, trying to bring out different things in them. To be honest, when we practise, there’s a lot coming out, there’s a lot being shown. It’s just how they adjust and assess the situation when they cross the rope … because that’s where it’s falling down,” he added.
WI vs IRE LIVE: West Indies will next lock horns against England in a five-match T20I series, beginning this Saturday.
