Simmons satisfied with progress at West Indies camp

WEST INDIES coach Phil Simmons is satisfied with what was achieved at the two-week Cricket West Indies (CWI) white-ball camp at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.

A total of 16 players have been participating in a camp since March 31. The camp ends on Wednesday.

Among those who are competing at the camp are TT players Darren Bravo, Kjorn Ottley and Anderson Phillip.

Speaking in an interview on the CWI social media channels, Simmons said, “It has been successful from the point of view that the players worked hard on the different skills that we were trying to implement and I think a lot of them would have shown improvement through the camp, so I think (it was) successful in that view.”

Simmons said the players carried themselves in a professional manner.

“Their attitudes have been good. They have done the work that we have asked them to do which included getting up early and training at six o’clock in the morning, nearly every morning we were here. Their attitudes have been good and I think they have taken it in their stride and that’s why there is so much improvement.”

West Indies have been playing series regularly over the past year, therefore holding camps often can prove challenging.

“We would like to have (more camps),” Simmons said.

“We have been trying to have for the longest while, but the fixtures are so congested that to find ten days somewhere to do something like this is difficult. Once we have a ten days somewhere we are going to try and do more like these.”

Many of the players will now anticipate the West Indies Four-Day Championship which resumes on May 18 in Trinidad. Some will also hope to earn selection for forthcoming series.

“All of them will go back to their franchises now and hopefully they will be playing in the (remainder of the) four-day tournament that is coming up or be selected to go on the trip to Netherlands and Pakistan. It’s all for them to go back home now and work towards whichever is their next challenge.”

West Indies will tour Netherlands for three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) from May 31-June 4 and will then travel to Pakistan for three ODIs from June 8-12.