ADELAIDE, Australia, CMC – Head coach Andre Coley became the latest in his position to try to explain another West Indies batting disaster that put them on the verge of defeat against Australia in the first Test on Thursday.
The Caribbean side plunged to 73 for six at the close in the final hour-and-a-half on the second day of the match at the Adelaide Oval after Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood reduced their batting to rubble when he removed the first four in the order cheaply.
West Indies enter the final day still 22 adrift of making the Aussies bat again, with wicketkeeper-batsman Joshua Da Silva not out on 17 and only the bowlers remaining to try to salvage a bit of pride for the visitors.
It was a stark contrast to the first two sessions of the day when West Indies, led by a five-wicket haul from new fast bowler Shamar Joseph, defied a seventh Test hundred from left-hander Travis Head and bowled out Australia for 283, restricting them to a first innings lead of 95.
“Our intent to score has always been evident, but that has to be matched with decision-making here,” Coley told reporters after the day’s play ended.
“With a lot more bounce potentially, the ability to leave the ball more consistently has to be part of your repertoire and approach. Generally, our intent was pretty good. Our decision-making was questionable on occasions.”
He added: “There were times when our batters played exceptionally well. They played quite well down the ground when we got the ball pretty straight and complete, and if there was any width, we capitalized on it as well, and that was very rare.
“The ability to maintain the intent, but not necessarily going searching for it (scoring opportunities), I think that was where we were found wanting in the batting so far.”
Coley said part of the challenge for his side was the need for Test matches, which makes it more difficult to give young players the exposure they need to get better in the sport’s most extended format.
“The challenge is the number of Tests we play,” Coley said. “Generally, outside of a Test series against England, we play two-match series. And then, if you look at how our schedule is set up over the next two years, Test series are six months apart in some instances, and there’s a little in between.
“So it’s really about us trying to fill the gap in some instances where we can, maybe with other bilateral tours or potentially looking to fit in A-Team tours that could help to improve that exposure or increase the players’ exposure.”
Coley said the situation will only change soon if administrators act to redress the imbalances in the sport, especially with franchise Twenty20 leagues luring away some of the Caribbean’s best players.
Our situation is that financially, we aren’t secure enough to offer substantial central contracts, which will always be challenging for us,” he said.
“What we have tried to do in the last six or 12 months is have more conversations with the players to work out windows where we can have our best players available.
“But this is widespread and will become more of a challenge. But more so for countries that aren’t financially viable and don’t play much Test cricket.
Coley said he was generally satisfied with the way the bowlers had executed their plans and hailed newcomer Shamar Joseph for the immediate impact he has had.
“I thought we stuck to the plans as best as we could, and generally, that worked well,” Coley said. “The plan was to bowl out Australia in less than 90 overs.
“We never had a target in mind, but just to do it in 90 overs because we believed that if we were disciplined, we could bowl them out for a manageable total that we could chase down.”
He said: “From what I have seen, there is not much tricky batting on the pitch. From both bowling attacks, we have seen if you remain disciplined, your defense will be tested, but whenever the ball is offline, and you are committed to the shot, you know the ball travels well to the boundary.
“There are runs to be scored on the pitch, but I think both bowling attacks have been disciplined and have not served up a lot of loose balls.”
On Joseph, he said: “I believe his performance speaks for itself. The passion he has brought. It’s what you see is what you get.
“We took him to South Africa last year. We knew he was inexperienced, but he had pace. He could naturally work to a plan and be consistent with discipline. And he’s done that.
“On the back of that A-Team tour, he was fantastic. He got the most wickets on that tour and showed what he’s capable of in his first Test match.”
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