Imbalance? Sammy wants Windies batsmen to pull their weight

One step forward, two steps back. 

That’s the parallel West Indies head coach Daren Sammy used to describe his team’s progress following contrasting performances in the opening two Tests of their ongoing series against hosts New Zealand. 

Thanks to Justin Greaves’ unbeaten 202, Shai Hope’s 140, and Kemar Roach’s 58 not-out, the Caribbean side managed to put a 531-run target under threat in the first Test before ultimately settling for a draw. They were then subjected to an embarrassing 9-wicket defeat inside three days in the second encounter, after collapsing to 205 and 128, respectively.

Hope (47) and John Campbell (44) came closest to producing half-centuries for the visiting batsmen in the Wellington Test that followed. However, it was the failure to convert those scores that was of significance to Coach Sammy.  

“You need batsmen who get starts to carry on,” he said. “We got five batters getting starts in the first innings, and nobody converted. In a team, you want people to step up, and in this Test match, nobody stood up for us.”

While first crediting the West Indies for placing themselves in advantageous positions, Sammy then noted their inability to remain engaged for crucial match-defining sequences. 

“We keep [putting] ourselves in good positions, but there are little moments that switch the momentum of the game,” Sammy said. “And in that Test match, once we lost the momentum, we lost it for a long period of time. Twice we had good starts, then we lost quick wickets. We put on a partnership (in the first innings) and at one point in time were 175 for 4, with two set batters. Then we got bowled out for 205.”

While the former West Indies captain was also quick to voice his satisfaction with the bowling unit led by a rest-deprived Jayden Seales and the veteran Kemar Roach, he insists that it’s the batters’ below-talent-ceiling displays that have impeded the possibility of a consistently competitive West Indies.

“The bowlers are doing their job; it's not the bowlers' fault,” he said. “I think it's the batsmen who have to take more responsibility. And you've seen in the first Test, when we take responsibility and one or two [batsmen] put their hands up and dig deep, we look like a different side.”