GEORGETOWN—Bowling coach Roddy Estwick says West Indies are aware of where they went wrong in their last game against Australia and will have to pull together in order to correct those issues.
West Indies beat South Africa by four wickets in the opening game of the Tri-Nations Series last Friday but then produced a meek batting performance in their second outing against World champions Australia, to slump to a six-wicket defeat last Sunday.
“It’s a collective thing. We’re all in it together. We wouldn’t say it is the bowlers or the batsmen that have let us down,” said Estwick, who recently replaced bowling legend Sir Curtly Ambrose in the position.
“We haven’t played well as a team in the last game and we know the areas we need to improve. We need to get partnerships, it’s 50-over cricket. “Once we can get partnerships and someone in the top four gets a big score, then we’ll turn it around. There’s no doubt about that.”
In the opening encounter, West Indies bowlers led by resurgent off-spinner Sunil Narine, undermined the Proteas with a career-best, six-wicket haul on a slow, low track at the National Stadium here, limiting them to 188 all out. And after being dismissed for a disappointing 116 against the Aussies, Narine again proved a handful as the Windies managed to claim four wickets before going under.
Estwick, a former Barbados Pride coach and West Indies A seamer, said he had put a huge emphasis on discipline among his bowlers. “That is something I have stressed big on that we must reduce the extras and reduce the boundary balls. If you look at the extras, there were five in the first game which was very, very good and there was one extra in the last game so those are areas we’re trying to improve,” Estwick pointed out.
“If we reduce the boundary balls as well – we’re trying to stop the opposition from gaining momentum going forward – so we’re trying to cut out that first-ball four which gives the momentum going into the over or the last-ball four which the momentum going into the next over.
“So the players know what we’re trying to do and once we continue to work, we can achieve it.” All three teams will turn their attention to the St Kitts leg of the tournament where matches will be played at the Warner Park venue. And Estwick said this change would call for a recalibration on the part of the bowlers.
“Guyana is a different surface, a different pitch and when we go to St Kitts it will be a different pitch was well and you’ve got to rise to the challenge as a team and as a collective unit and that’s what we’re working to do.” West Indies take on the Aussies again in their next game slated for next Monday.
