Simmons: Spend time at the crease

 West Indies’ coach Phil Simmons  -
West Indies’ coach Phil Simmons -

WEST INDIES (WI) coach Phil Simmons stressed on the importance of constructing smart batting partnerships as the squad heads into their second four-day warm-up match against New Zealand “A” in Queenstown, on Wednesday.

In the opening warm-up, over the weekend, Darren Bravo smashed an inspiring 135 while Shamarh Brooks struck 80. Opener Kraigg Brathwaite (47) and skipper Roston Chase (42) also had fair contributions.

Fellow opening batsman John Campbell (four) and Jermain Blackwood (eight), however, did not impress. Although he reflected on the team’s good performances with the bat in the first practice match, Simmons said consistency is key.

“It’s about spending time at the crease. I’m not worried about the fact that Bravo scored a century. I look at the time they spent at the crease and how they controlled their innings. That’s what I’m looking for from John (Campbell) and (Jermaine) Blackwood in this four-day game.

“I would be one of the happiest men if we could continue with the partnerships and the time at the crease. The scores will come. We have batsmen with talent. It’s about understanding that you need to spend time out there to score the runs that we need to get to 450 and 500 runs,” he said.

The former WI player also said bowling has been the source of strength for the regional team over the years. If, according to him, in Wednesday’s practice match, the batsmen can get into form and into the line that he wants, he would not be too concerned about his bowling attack.

Simmons admitted that batsmen must consistently perform to be selected to the final Test squad. With Shimron Hetmyer and Bravo back in the team, he believes their presence would ignite good internal competition among the batsmen who are gunning towards cementing their place among the WI starting line-up.

“I think it’s a case where everyone is under pressure. We’re getting a group that’s fighting for three to four (batting) positions. It’s putting pressure on them to perform. If you perform, you’re going to be there.

Performance is big hundreds and we need that for this team. Test-wise, it’s about using this four-day game to just sharpen up themselves so that next week, going into the first Test, everyone is as sharp as they can be,” he added.

WI bowl off their three-match T20 International series against the Black Caps in Auckland on Friday and get their two-match Test campaign underway in Hamilton on December 2. The team was the first pro cricket team to go on tour (England in July) during the pandemic.

In both England and New Zealand, the team endured several days of quarantine and smaller group training sessions to ensure they adhered to each country’s health regulations.

According to Simmons, it’s been tough but the team rallies on.

“It’s been a difficult year. Not being able to play and unable to train properly at home. We’ve done it, we got there. Now we’re in our second Test series we’re hoping that we’re moving forward even with all the restrictions we’re under.

A victory against New Zealand would serve as a major motivational push for the touring team.

He concluded, “You have to continue winning. Winning against the Black Caps in New Zealand is going to be a big boost for us going forward. For the October/November (2021) T20 World Cup, we need to make sure that we are starting to play the type of cricket we want to play and that means winning a series against the Black Caps in New Zealand.”

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