For West Indies Cricket team Head Coach Phil Simmons, one thing is clear. “The two guys out in the middle control things, and the situation controls how the two guys will play, and the messages that are sent back inside.” He was speaking ahead of the fourth T20 International in the Betway series against the West Indies at Kensington Oval in Barbados. The West Indies are leading the series 2-1 and a victory on Saturday would see the West Indies walking away with a series win. The fifth and final game takes place on Sunday 30th January 2022 at the same venue.
In previous press conferences, the Coach lamented the failure of his players to apply in matches, what was worked on during practice. For the match on Wednesday 26th January, Simmons was pleased with how the batsmen approached the game between overs 7 and 10 and and that they tried to reduce the loss of wickets during that period. The way that Rovman Powell and Nicholas Pooran approached their innings, was also commended by Simmons. Century-maker Powell scored a magnificent 107 off 53 balls, for a strike rate of 201.88. Vice Captain Pooran contributed 70 off 43, batting at number 3.
What’s his message to the team ahead of Saturday’s match? “For us to continue improving in our situation awareness and play how we see it,” said Simmons.” He went on to say that “our improvement in batting is determined by how well we assess the situations we are in. The wicket may not be as good as this one, but then we have to adjust.”
Click below for an excerpt of the press conference held on 27th January 2022, where I posed questions including the system of ensuring players know what they should be working on, when they are not in the West Indies team set up. Video credit: CWI Media