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“[…] Mikyle Louis, you must bat deep into the innings; always go back to square one after a restart. Alick Athanaze, Kirk McKenzie and Kavem Hodge, get to the pitch of the ball, play the ball under the eyes, keep it on the ground.
“[…] The bowling unit never disappoints and fielding is not a problem. But the batting department is stressing them out…”
The following Letter to the Editor on West Indies’ First Test loss to England by an innings and 114 runs was submitted to Wired868 by Kendell Karan of Chaguanas:
Photo: CWI Media
Lords put ah hand, sigh. What an underwhelming First Test, gentlemen—not good enough.
We are making this England team look like a prime 2005 England Ashes unit. They aren’t breaking a sweat. How to talk to these fellas again?
Kraigg Brathwaite, anything on four and half stump and more, leave it and let it pass! Protect your wicket at all costs—that should be priority before and after any interval.
Photo: Getty Images
Mikyle Louis, you must bat deep into the innings; always go back to square one after a restart.
Alick Athanaze, Kirk McKenzie and Kavem Hodge, get to the pitch of the ball, play the ball under the eyes, keep it on the ground. Use soft hands as a precaution if the trajectory of the ball is lost.
Avinash Seeteram, West Indies team analyst, what are you doing behind that computer? These fellahs’ head position is all over the place!
England are setting them up with false fielding settings, and bowling completely different deliveries to tie them up. Get the message across to them.
Photo: George Halfhide/ CWI Media
The bowling unit never disappoints and fielding is not a problem. But the batting department is stressing them out. West Indies are asking Joshua Da Silva, Gudakesh Motie and company to do too much.
We’ve got to be mentally strong and focus on every ball at the crease. Survive each over without loss; the bucket fills drop by drop.
I sense an inferiority sickness hitting the team, surrounded by all these white folks with fancy suits and blue eyes. Prove me wrong fellas.
Photo: George Halfhide/ CWI Media
Turn up West Indies, turn up!
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Our batsmen simply lack the technique and skills required to deal with bowling that is average much less bowling that approaches high quality. You see it in the shorter version of the game (when fielding restrictions are in place we can hit in the air with ease but once fielding restrictions are in place and the skill is now required to manoeuvre the ball and find gaps you see this quite evident).
The Board has to take greater oversight of the coaching that is done in the individual territories and also to ensure that we produce pitches that give batters as well as bowlers an even chance to succeed. Playing more frequently against quality opposition would help also (not sure how much of this the Board has control over though. This is where the brain trust of West Indies cricket need to show its worth because outside of the odd flash in the pan performances that raise the spirits of the diehards, this thing is going downhill quickly.