lack of experience has hurt W/Cup preparation

Wed, Oct 31, '18

OUTGOING West Indies head coach, Stuart Law, has revealed that the lack of experienced senior players available on tour to guide the upcoming Caribbean talent has hurt the side’s progression and overall aspirations for the future. Referencing the team’s preparation and level of mentorship for next year’s ICC Cricket World Cup, Law called the situation less than “ideal,” especially in the batting area.

Speaking with ESPN on the contract disputes and the player availability issues plaguing the squad since 2014’s walkout in India, Law admitted, “Some players have explained to me what’s going on, and some haven’t really explained it. So it’s hard to get that continuity in the team. What we’re doing right now is building up for a World Cup. And if we keep chopping and changing, (it isn’t ideal).”

With Dwayne Bravo retiring from all forms of international cricket and Chris Gayle and Andre Russell available for selection but not suiting up for the Windies in the lead-in to the tournament, Law said gauging the final roster still remains an unpredictable task. The ex-Australian international, who’ll be stepping down from his position before the World Cup, lamented that the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) couldn’t solve the selection criteria with certain senior players in time, allowing them to balance out their Twenty20 (T20) schedules with long-format cricket.