Hooper: We're Running On Fumes

He emphasised that it was not an excuse, but Carl Hooper again referred to fatigue by some of the key players in his squad in the aftermath of the 204-run loss to New Zealand here yesterday.

"I think there's been a lot of debate about whether we're tired. It's no defence but we do have some tired legs," said the West Indies captain. "I'm not justifying that as the reason why we lost. I just think we probably didn't adapt properly from the one-dayers to the Test. We've got to consider it as a learning experience and push this behind us."

Hooper acknowledged that they were outplayed throughout most of the match. "I don't think, apart from the first session of the Test match, that we were actually in the game," he admitted.

"We conceded too much of a big lead. The pitch wasn't all that different from the one against India. That one just had some more grass on it. We just batted poorly."

Amid the gloom, the captain is seeking solace in recent history.

"We lost against India and came back. Most people thought we were going to lose the series and we came back strongly to win two matches convincingly," said Hooper. "I've still got hope. I still think we can come back."

With much of the focus on Ramnaresh Sarwan's identical dismissals in both innings, the skipper defended his compatriot.

"The last time I think he was out this way was against South Africa. I think he's disciplined himself since then and has been batting well all summer.

"We've got to be careful not to be harsh on these players. This is the first time he would have had this amount of cricket behind him and obviously you'll begin to see little cracks.

"The important thing is to not be too critical. You've got to give them time. This is a learning process for a lot of people."

** SOURCE: Trinidad Guardian.