In response to a lacklustre showing at Lord’s that saw them lose an innings match in three days, West Indies head coach Andre Coley has urged his team to step it up for this week’s Trent Bridge Test. Despite the crushing defeat, Coley stated that there were encouraging signs for the upcoming Test and urged better batting and fielding performances.
On Monday, 15 July, Coley stated, “I would love to see us with a lot more intensity that we’re known to show in the field.” “In my opinion, we didn’t play our best in this Test match when it came to pressing the England hitters. We must undoubtedly improve on that in preparation for the upcoming test.
“It’s termed a test match because we know the conditions will be testing. We’re not at home playing. Even if our circumstances will be slightly different, we still possess the ability to perform at our peak and take on England. In certain parts of the [first] match, [England] truly had to demonstrate incredible guts and application. Jason Holder, Jayden Seales, Alzarri Joseph, whose pace was back up, and Gudakesh Motie were all instrumental in assisting captain Kraigg Brathwaite in maintaining control and taking the crucial wicket of captain Ben Stokes. Yes, there are a lot of advantages.”
Coley brought up the memory of a Test played earlier in the year in Brisbane that is renowned for Shamar Joseph’s heroics with the ball, in which the West Indies rallied after losing by 10 wickets in Adelaide to win famously. Despite the disappointing three days of cricket action, Coley stated the team remained in high spirits. Joseph, on the other hand, is facing a race against time to become match fit after complaining of discomfort in his left hamstring.
When it came to the Gabba Test, Coley stated, “They would have taken a lot of positives from that.” “I think the process we went through to be able to achieve that was much more powerful [than the outcome] in terms of how we were able to bounce back.
It serves as another evidence that a series might have a poor beginning, but that it is possible to gather yourself, turn things around, and emerge victorious in the end, perhaps forcing a decisive game three. Thus, there are significant advantages to be gained from this initial Test as well as from the challenges we would have faced during the previous six months.”
Coley added that his crew would be better prepared for the conditions in Nottingham because they had learned from Lord’s.
“Having been here for almost two weeks, allowing myself some time to get used to the surroundings and actually spending time in the middle—sure, the outcome was not what we had hoped for or anticipated, but I do think there are enough of lessons and lessons to be learned.
“We acknowledge that our team is still young and developing, but we are still quite optimistic about how we are going into the second Test. Everyone is cheerful and upbeat. We have been meeting one-on-one with the players to catch up, but tonight will be our first true team gathering.
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In the days before the first Test, there was a lot going on both on and off the pitch, which I’m sure some of our players were able to take in. As a result, both players and staff have learned a great deal, and we remain optimistic as we travel to Nottingham.”
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