In one of his recent utterances in the press, coach Phil Simmons lamented that though his team has performed well in the first Test by beating England to go one-up in the three-match Test Series, the batters, in general, have not stepped up to the plate.
“The fact that we had two guys getting 60s and a couple of guys getting 40s, it was disappointing not to go on to score 100s. I like to see 100s on my scorecard at the end of an innings,” Simmons told members of the media via a Zoom conference recently.
“I think that is one of the areas we need to improve on. If one of the guys who had scored 60 went on to score 100, the game might have been easier for us at the end, so we have to make sure that batsmen score big 100s and take games away from the opposition,” he added.
We on this side of the pond share Simmons’ concerns because batters are picked to bat. This twenty “sinting,” jook, and prod is foreign to Windies cricket tradition and must be dispensed with sooner than later.
The Windies batters must get back to playing calypso cricket, turn up collars, and walk to the pitch with that swagger.
The current batters lack self-confidence and seem to be in a timid frame of mind.
Marlon Samuels perhaps is the last cricketer we have seen who exude confidence in his ability at the wicket.
If batters cannot average more than the usual 20 and 30 “sinting,” they have no right to be in the team, let alone being called a Windies batsman.
It’s time to read the riot act to current batters and move forward by selecting batters who can consistently give the team the three figures as touted by the coach.
Say you just can’t live that negative way,
If you know what I mean;
Make way for the positive day,
‘Cause it’s news (new day) – news and days –
New time (new time), and if it’s a new feelin’ (new feelin’), yeah! –
Said it’s a new sign (new sign):
Oh, what a new day!
Bob Marley — Positive Vibration
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