West Indies Head Coach, Phil Simmons has pointed to flaws in technique, as well as situational awareness, as the principal factors behind West Indies’ batting fiasco in the two-Test series against South Africa.
Only two batsmen, Roston Chase in the first Test and opener, Kieran Powell in the second Test scored half-centuries as the West Indies made 97, 162, 149 and 165 in the two matches.
At the Daren Sammy Stadium at Gros islet, St Lucia, the West Indies suffered heavy defeats. The lost the 1st Test by an innings and 63 runs in 2 ½ days, and the second by 158 runs half-hour before tea on the fourth day.
Simmons said: “Looking back at it and an assessment of the game, there are a few little technical issues.
“Just to mention one, in the first Test match we got caught playing away from our bodies a lot, and when a wicket is doing as much as it did in that Test match, then that’s to your detriment, and we saw that in being bowled out for 97.
“A few of the guys came back from that in the last Test match and we saw a few guys get into the 40s and 50s, but at the same time not assessing the whole situation of the game and knowing that we’re on top and we need to be tight for a while in order to put pressure on them.
“When they got the two wickets they just ran through us, so I think a lot of it is assessment of the situation of the game, and how we need to play in that situation to keep our team in that position of strength.”
