West Indies coach Phil Simmons pushes for change of mindset

Phil Simmons

Bridgetown (Barbados), April 29 (IANS) New head coach of the West Indies cricket team, Phil Simmons says he was startled by his side's batting display against England on the morning of the final day of the second Test in Grenada.

Resuming the final day on 202/2 with a lead of 37 runs, the West Indies lost their last eight wickets for 105 runs, to be all out for 307. The Caribbean team surrendered a strong position, allowing England to win the Test by nine wickets and lead the series 1-0, reports CMC.

"You hear people talk about how bad this is or how bad that is. But when you're in the camp, it's not all as bad as people say. But there has been nothing as startling as the way we batted on the last morning in Grenada. There is learning to be done," said Simmons.

They lost six wickets for 84 runs in the first session on the final day as James Anderson tore through the middle-order with the new ball. Simmons, a former West Indies all-rounder, described the batting as "reckless", adding they lost because of "negligence".

"We had two hours of negligence on the last day in Grenada and we lost the game. It was a reckless period. It just needed a couple of guys to bat for another half-hour or so and we would have saved the game," Simmons said.

The new Windies head coach says he was encouraged by some aspects of his side during the first two Tests but has appealed for more consistency. He is advocating for a change in the mindset of the players which should be informed by the state of the game.

"I'd like to see us play two or three sessions consistently. We've played well in one, been bad in the next, and then come back in the one after that. But we've not played consistently well for three sessions," Simmons explained.

"We just need our young players to understand that how they play must be determined by what the team needs and what the scoreboard reads. So they have to learn here that, if the score is 40/4, you might have to bat for two sessions and come back the next day to get your big score. The mindset has to change."

The third and final Test starts on Friday in Barbados.