Despite commendable performances from its bowling line-up, the Windies batting line-up continued to struggle for yet another series after going down 3-0 to India on Thursday. At the crease, in South Asia, the team at times looked ill-prepared or unable to find the resolve or technical ability needed to put partnerships together at crucial times or cope with the India bowlers for any prolonged period.
Similar to its performance against Ireland last month, where they lost an ODI series against that opponent for the first time, the Windies looked, perhaps more than ever, susceptible to losing wickets in huge clusters, which made it impossible to chase even modest targets. In three matches, the team failed to reach 200 with its highest score of 193 coming in an all-out effort in the second match, in pursuit of 237 for 9.
For the batsmen, it was Jason Holder who led the way with a modest 65 over three matches, followed by Nicholas Pooran with 61, while lower-order all-rounder Odean Smith had 60. By comparison, India’s top three featured Kuldeep Yadav who made 104 in three matches, Rishabh Pant made 85, while Shreyas Iyer made 80 in just one match. Overall, the India batting line-up, which chased a low target in the first match, outscored the West Indies line-up by 148 runs.
“This is difficult, the last six games have been difficult in this format. We started putting things together last year when we played Sri Lanka, it was difficult against Australia, but we started putting things together. For this (type of performance) to come now, it’s hard to take, it’s hard to take from the batsmen,” Simmons told members of the media on Thursday.
“It’s not outwardly showing, but it’s hurtful and the players know that. We have to make sure that we do the right things moving forward to get this batting line-up or whoever the batting line-up is to function as a batting line-up, to have big partnerships and assess the thing properly.”
The team’s highest partnership of the series was a 78 run seventh-wicket stand between Fabian Allen and Jason Holder. Overall, the majority of the team’s biggest partnerships came from batting places below the 5th wicket.
“The mode of dismissals is the biggest issue. If we are assessing the situation and we are playing according to the situation, and you get out then that’s execution. But not assessing the situation and knowing what you want to do in the situations and the modes of dismissal it’s hurtful, and it doesn’t make for good watching as we’ve seen. It’s something the players have to sit and get right as soon as possible. We can’t keep going like this.”
While poor all-around batting display was the order of the day in a lopsided loss against South Africa in the first Test, the West Indies, as has become customary, had another slow start at the top of the innings.
The opening pair of captain Kraigg Brathwaite and recently recalled Shai Hope only managed to put 30 on the board in the first innings, with Brathwaite then partnering with another recalled batsman, Kieran Powell, to combine for 21 in the second innings.
Prior to this series, however, Brathwaite and opening partner John Campbell has had an average stuck at around the 22 mark for the last several series played. Campbell has been ruled out of the current series with an injury.
On the back of the lopsided defeat to South Africa, Simmons insists it is an area the team is desperate to fix.
“It’s one of the things we have been desperately trying to work on because if you look back, a lot of times when we win Test matches against top teams, we have good opening stands,” Simmons recently told members of the media.
“It’s disappointing because when you look at the last 7 Test 100s scored by an opener, I think they were all scored by Kraigg. So, it’s disappointing for us and we are trying to work very hard on that,” he added.
The West Indies will need just two wickets tomorrow and attempt to minimize the 170-run lead the hosts have after they were restricted to 284-8.
The West Indies, leading England by 99 runs at the Ageas Bowl at the beginning of Saturday, were pushed back, as openers Rory Burns, 42, and Dom Sibley, 50, whittled down that lead.
After lunch, things got worse for the West Indies, who had to remain patient as Zak Crawley, 76, and stand-in skipper Ben Stokes, 46, threatened to take the game away from them, pushing England’s lead in the match to 135 before the latter was removed by a fine piece of bowling from Holder.
Holder, for the second time, turned Stokes around after just changing the field to include two gullies and had him caught by Shai Hope.
It’s what he does. He comes back and puts in the big spells for the team.
Simmons was speaking at the end of day four, highlighting what was a pivotal moment in the West Indies’ second stint on the field.
England then lost five wickets for 35 runs, as Shannon Gabriel, 3-62, and Alzarri Joseph, 2-40, reduced England to 284-8, a lead of 170.
“That’s the way he leads this team and I didn’t expect anything different,” said Simmons.
“He was bowling for a while and you expected him to change but he wanted to make that breakthrough for the team.”
Hetmyer was left out of the team for the upcoming visits of Ireland and England after failing to pass fitness drills administered in his home country of Guyana recently.
The occasion is the third in the last three years that the athlete is failing to get a passing grade for the West Indies basic fitness requirement. Hetmyer was first left out of the squad in 2020, ahead of the Sri Lanka tour, and then again later that year during the home visit of the same team.
Simmons expressed frustration that Hetmyer was not only letting down himself but failing to maintain the required standards but also the entire team.
“It’s the same old, same old. He did his fitness assessment in Guyana and he came way below the required mark,” Simmons told members of the media during a conference call on Friday.
“Again, it is something that is heart-wrenching because you know that you are part of this team, and you have to keep a certain fitness to be part of this team and you keep letting down your teammates.”
Simmons added the player was also “letting down himself.”
Despite being considered one of the team’s brightest talents, and having appeared in all formats, Hetmyer has not suited up for the Test team since 2019, against Afghanistan.
The 24-year-old, who made his debut against India in 2016, has struggled for consistency, scoring five 50s in 15 matches with a high score of 93, but with several other innings where he has not delivered. Despite obvious potential, his overall average of 28 falls on the mediocre side.
In addition, the athlete has also had his share fair of fitness issues over the past two years, twice failing fitness standards after being included in touring squads. Simmons has, however, backed the batsman to eventually get things right.
“I think that Hetmyer can be a world-class Test player when that time comes,” Simmons told members of the media.
“I’m sure at some point he’s going to return to the Test squad. I’m sure the experience he’s gotten from being there before will serve him well and that he will make use of it. I think he is maturing as we go along. He’s had a few incidents he’s not proud of, but he’s maturing and I’m sure he will get back into the Test squad at some point in time and show what he’s made of.”
Overall, the spinner ended the opening Test with no wicket from 16 overs and conceded 43 runs. The debut stood a far way from his performances in the West Indies Championship this season where he claimed 17 wickets in five matches, earning the attention of the West Indies selectors.
The 27-year-old did, however, make some sort of contribution with the bat after making 23 unbeaten from 21 deliveries, in the first innings.
“He scored a 100 in the Championship, so he can hold the bat and he can score like we saw but his bowling is going to improve,” Simmons said, following the first Test.
“I think when you play in your first Test match there’s always nerves, there’s a lot of things, but his bowling is going to improve,” he added.
While, for the most part, it was the pace bowlers who dominated affairs, Bangladesh spinner Mehidy Hasan claimed 4 for 59 in the first innings to put some pressure on the West Indies batting line-up. West Indies and Bangladesh will face off in the second and final Test on Friday.
Young was a member of the West Indies Rising Stars squad at the 2020 ICC U19 World Cup and has also played for Barbados Royals in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). Carty, meanwhile, has been a consistent member of the Leeward Islands Hurricanes squad for the last five years. He was Player of the Match in the final of the 2016 ICC U19 World Cup won by the West Indies.
West Indies Head Coach Phil Simmons outlined that the camp will focus on improving skill sets as the West Indies look ahead to two major global events over the next two years – the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia later this year and the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup to be played in India.
“The camp will be a chance for us to do some work with players in the white-ball formats, players who might have a chance to play in the coming white-ball teams later this year,” Simmons said.
“The most important thing is that we will be doing things in the camp that we have not been doing well, such as rotating strike, sweeping, and playing spin better. It’s about working on things that we’re not 100 per cent at yet. We have several players at IPL who will be working at their games as well, so we’re working with the players here to make sure they keep up the standard and improve.”
Simmons also weighed in on the selection of Carty and Young for the camp.
Keacy Carty was a reserve for the team which toured India in February. If there was any reason why players couldn’t go, he was the next batsman in line. He is one of the players we have looked at before,” Simmons revealed.
“Nyeem Young is one of the potentially good young all-rounders we have around the Caribbean, so we just want to bring them in and get them to understand what we expect of them if they get to that level.”
In late May, the West Indies travel to The Netherlands for the first-ever three-match One Day International Series between the two teams, to be followed by the rescheduled three-match ODI Series against Pakistan which was postponed in December.
These fixtures form part of the ICC ODI Super League, where teams will have the opportunity to secure points to try and secure one of the top seven places, excluding hosts India, to gain automatic qualification for the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
West Indies will then be hosting tours by Bangladesh, India and New Zealand with all three series featuring white-ball matches. Details of these tours will be announced in the coming weeks.
Players for white-ball camp: Nkrumah Bonner, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Justin Greaves, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Shai Hope, Brandon King, Kjorn Ottley, Keemo Paul, Anderson Phillip, Raymon Reifer, Nial Smith, Devon Thomas and Nyeem Young.
The West Indies, the only team to win the T20 title twice – in 2012 and 2016 – has seen their vice-captain struggle for form in the Indian Premier League where he batted in the middle order for the Punjab Kings with little success.
Coming off a fair campaign for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the 2021 Hero CPL where in 10 innings he scored 263 runs at an average of 32.88 and strike rate of 163.35, Pooran who turned 26 on October 2, has experienced a precipitous dip in form in the IPL.
In 11 innings for the Punjab Kings, Pooran has only managed to score 85 runs at an anaemic average and strike rate of 7.72 and 111.84, respectively, numbers that have even him concerned.
“Definitely not the IPL season I wanted but the opportunity to be tested both mentally and physically was a great experience, one to learn from very fast,” the Trinidadian posted on Instagram this past weekend.
However, Simmons expressed faith in the player’s ability to return to form in time for the world cup in the United Arab Emirates where the West Indies will open their campaign against England on October 23.
“I am not too worried about Nicholas. I think Nicholas has been batting well,” said the head coach during a media session from the UAE on Monday. “In the CPL, he played well, there was a lot of pressure on him there and there is going to be more pressure here but I think he has been working hard enough. He is doing all that he has to do and sometimes it doesn’t come off, but it will come off so I am not worried about him.”
Since the start of the CPL in August, Pooran has had one score of over 50 runs in T20 matches, and that was an unbeaten 75 against the Jamaica Tallawahs on September 10.
Simmons, 61, joins Oceania side as a specialist coach, and he will provide Papua New Guinea's head coach Tatenda Taibu with some added experience and knowledge of playing in Caribbean conditions during the June 1-29 showpiece, which will also see games being played in United States.
“My role here is as a consultant coach and how I put across my experience, not just playing in World Cups, but playing in the Caribbean and the things that we should be looking at to make sure we do it right in the Caribbean and especially the venues that we play at,” Simmons shared.
Having built a strong reputation working with international sides such as Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Afghanistan, Simmons, who has played the sport for 14 years and coached for a further 18 years, was pressed for time to spend in the Caribbean and, as such, welcomed the opportunity to spend some time in the twin island republic.
“It’s been a long time in the game. It’s always brilliant to come home, always brilliant to come back to any part of the West Indies you know how beautiful it is here. I’m looking forward to getting home, which is Trinidad. Having people come here, me getting back here, it’s always a great thing, it’s always something to look forward to," he declared.
Simmons, who recently joined the Papua New Guinea squad in their pre-World Cup training camp in St Kitts, expressed pleasure with what he has seen so far.
“Their energy is unbelievable. Their warm-ups alone, got me tired. The guys look like they have settled in really well. In training, we started to get out in the middle of their game, so they started on some of the things they have to do here in the Caribbean, and it’s nice to see the energy that’s among this squad," Simmons said.
“I’ve known the head coach [Taibu] for a long time, and he’s always been energetic. There is always a lot of energy, but the players seem to be pushing him where that is concerned, and so I like that atmosphere in the team, I like the liveliness in the team," he added.
Papua New Guinea will contest Group C alongside West Indies, Afghanistan, New Zealand, and Uganada. They will open against the Caribbean side on June 2, at the National Cricket Stadium in Guyana.
According to Simmons, half-centuries from Kraigg Brathwaite, 75, Shamarh Brooks, 68 and 62, Roston Chase 51, and Jermaine Blackwood, 55, were missed opportunities.
The five half-centuries were scored in totals of 287 and 198 as the West Indies lost by 113 to hosts England, 469-9 declared and 129-3 declared, with an hour left to play on the fifth day and despite a rained-out third day.
“We had five or six half-centuries and no conversions. It is something that we have been talking about a lot and nobody has taken up that opportunity in this game yet again, so it is disappointing,” said Simmons.
The England victory tied the #raisethebat Series for the Wisden trophy at 1-1 leaving Friday’s game at Old Trafford as the decider.
“I think we have to do something different, we just lost a Test match. We have to add to things done in the first Test match and subtract from some of the things we have done in this Test match. I think it is critical that our batsmen carry on and make big hundreds,” said Simmons.
On the back of a historic shock loss to Ireland in their most recent international One Day International (ODI) series, the team’s performances have come under the microscope even more than usual, particularly as it relates to the patchy performance of the batting line-up.
Against Ireland, the batsmen seemed technically incapable of dealing with either the moist conditions on the pitch or the craft of the Irish bowlers. The team’s struggles have led some to question the work of head coach Phil Simmons and the team’s batting coaches, but while admitting that more needed to be done by the coach, Roberts insists the team’s troubles run a lot deeper.
“For what it is now, I don’t think I would blame the coach alone because of the (low) quality of our players coming out of the region,” Roberts told the Mason and Guest radio show.
“We have to put some emphasis on the coaches from our lower levels coming up because that is where you learn the skills of batting because most focus today is on batting. I read where the captain said that the West Indies has a batting problem but we’ve been having a batting problem for years… we want to blame others at the top when this is a problem that comes from the lower level.”
In nine Tests, the 23-year-old Trinidadian has scored 372 runs at an average of 23.25 and has two half-centuries to his credit. He made his debut against New Zealand in Wellington in December 2020, making 57 in the West Indies second innings.
Scores of 42, 20, 92 and 20 followed against Bangladesh in February this year as well as 46 against Sri Lanka in March.
The 42 was made in the first innings of the first Test at Chattogram during a 99-run sixth-wicket stand with Jermaine Blackwood and his second innings 20 was made in a 100-run sixth-wicket stand with Man of the Match Kyle Mayers.
In the second Test at Dhaka, Da Silva made 92 and featured in a sixth-wicket partnership of 88 with Nkrumah Bonner which was followed by a seventh-wicket partnership of 118 with Alzarri Joseph, notwithstanding that latter’s contribution of 71 as the West Indies secured a 2-0 series win.
Since that time, Da Silva’s form has dipped significantly.
He had scores of 1 and 20 in the second Test against Sri Lanka in March and followed in June with a disastrous series against South Africa against which he had scores of 0, 9, 7 and 0 and then 21, 13, 6 and 15 against Pakistan in August.
However, his form away has been more encouraging averaging 39 while his home average is just under 14.
Asked during a recent press conference, asked whether he was concerned about the form of his wicketkeeper, who has played major roles in match-winning partnerships in Bangladesh earlier this year, Simmons said the good news is that Da Silva seems to bat better away than at home.
“A dip like that is always a concern but his away form is a lot better than his home form so we hope that that is not a coincidence and that that is a strength of his, so we are away now and hopefully he lives up to how he started the year. Hopefully, he finishes the year like that,” Simmons said.
Brathwaite, meanwhile, believes Da Silva would see a return to form with the right type of support from the team's leadership.
“He has been doing a superb job in times before with some very important partnerships. One of the keys to situations like this, for me, is making sure you have good communication with him, just let him know that he can do it, it’s as simple as that and for him to believe in himself,” Brathwaite said.
“I know he is fully capable of doing well. Obviously, we all go through little slumps. We all still learning as players but I think he has been putting in some good work and we look forward to him doing well.”
The first Test begins at the Galle International Stadium on November 21.
Simmons, who played 26 Tests and 143 ODIs from 1987 to 1999, has enjoyed an extensive coaching career including multiple stints with West Indies, the most recent of which ended after the team's first-round exit from the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. He is currently head coach of Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and LA Knight Riders in Major League Cricket (MLC).
Simmons played one international game in Karachi, during the 1987 World Cup, and he said in a statement that he looked forward to returning to the city and working with Kings team director Haider Azhar.
"Returning to Karachi, a city I hold dear from my playing days, feels like a homecoming," Simmons said.
"I am thrilled to join forces with Haider Azhar and the rest of the team's think tank, drawing from the rich cricketing heritage of this country. I am thankful to team owner Salman Iqbal, CEO Tariq Wasi, and Karachi Kings management for this opportunity. We are eager to move ahead with our rebuilding and restart process of Karachi Kings and establish this franchise as a match-winning unit."
Kings have won one title - in 2020 - in eight seasons of the PSL. They will hope the appointment of Simmons will revive their fortunes after their failure to make the playoffs of the tournament in both 2022 and 2023.
Simmons' first task will be building Kings' squad during the player draft on Wednesday. Kings currently have eight players on their roster: Shan Masood (captain), James Vince, Hasan Ali, Shoaib Malik, Tabraiz Shamsi, Mir Hamza, Muhammad Akhlaq and Muhammad Irfan Khan.
The 2024 season of the PSL is scheduled to run from February 13 to March 18.
In a rematch of the 2016 T20 World Cup final when the West Indies emerged victoriously, England bowled the defending champions out for 55 with Chris Gayle top-scoring with 13. England’s spinners took six of the 10 wickets to fall before their batters achieved the winning target in 8.2 overs.
The West Indies were unable to build partnerships and were missing the role of an anchor that Chase demonstrated while scoring an unbeaten 54 in the West Indies’ final warm-up match against Afghanistan. Playing anchor was something demonstrated he could do well during the 2021 Hero CPL season when he was the top scorer with 446 runs at an incredible average of 49.55.
When England batted, Akeal Hosein, the only spinner selected, was the best of the bowlers with 2-24.
Chase, a more than useful bowler, would have also given the West Indies another bowling option as a spinner in the match where spinners took eight of the 14 wickets to fall, the best of them being England’s Adil Rashid, who boasted ridiculous figures of four wickets for two runs from his four overs.
Still, Coach Simmons speaking with the media on Sunday, insisted that the team they selected was the right one for the conditions.
“I don’t think we misread the pitch. Yes, the spinners got some wickets but as you go along you have seen that the pitch was a good pitch,” he said during a media conference from Dubai on Sunday where the West Indies are preparing to face South Africa on Tuesday.
“You have to try and make the most of the first six or seven overs and then you have to fight until you get to the latter part. I think when you assess the pitch, you assess the squad we thought that the 11 that went into the game was the right squad.
“Yes, Chase got some runs in the game before but when were at the ground we assessed and we thought it was the right combination.”
His greatest achievements as a player came while playing league cricket in England.
One season, playing for Leicestershire, he scored 1244 runs and took 56 wickets. In that season, Simmons was said to have been bowling very quickly, a change from his generally medium-paced efforts.
But before those exploits, Simmons, who played in England during the 1980s and ‘90s, said while playing in the Northeast of the country, he faced quite a bit of racial abuse.
"It's not a nice thing to face. Especially in the leagues where you're by yourself sometimes. It affected my wife when I was up there. It's not a nice thing.
"I played in three or four different leagues. It was one particular league up in the northeast."
Simmons was speaking before the West Indies revealed it will be using a Black Lives Matter logo created by partner of Watford City football club captain, Troy Deeney, Alisha Hosannah.
At the time, Simmons was as yet unsure about how the West Indies would show its unity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
The West Indies are in England for the #RaisyourBat series for the Wisden Trophy.
The three-Test series begins July 8 at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton with two other games scheduled for Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester.
After nearly 16-years representing the regional team and three years in charge of both the One Day International (ODI) and T20 squads, the 34-year-old Pollard announced his decision to step away from international cricket last week.
“Skipper it is sad to see you retire from the maroon shirt so early…I completely understand,” Simmons said, addressing the issue via Facebook.
“Your ability to give players your backing and trust to deliver and your strong leadership both on and off the field was a joy to work with,” he added.
Pollard took charge of both squads in 2019 and experienced mixed fortunes during his tenure. The T20 squad lost 21 of 39 matches and had a disastrous defense of its World Cup title. The ODI squad on the other hand fared better, winning 13 and losing 11 of 21 matches played. Still, Simmons hailed Pollard as a positive force for pushing players to reach their full potential and having a genuine desire to see the team do well.
“Your passion for pushing players to build on skills and knowledge of the game and more. Your unwillingness to settle for mediocrity was a pleasure to work with,” Simmons said.
“Your undoubted passion for the game and especially the Maroon Shirt together with your desire to bring success to the West Indies cricket team henceforth Cricket West Indies will be missed. You will be missed.”
Following the withdrawal of 12 first-team players from the Bangladesh tour, the regional team will be made up of a majority of fringe players. In fact, for the Test squad, four players could be in line for a debut with five having less than 10 caps. The One Day International (ODI) squad contains 7 players who could be picked for the first time.
Despite being massive underdogs, however, Simmons believes the situation presents a unique opportunity for the inexperienced players that have been selected.
“My role and my message to all the players here: you’re not here to fill in, you’re here to give yourself a chance,” Simmons told members of the media via a Zoom press conference on Tuesday.
“You have a chance now to seal your place in this team. If you do well here, that augurs well for you going forward. You come here, you do well in the three games in the ODI series and the two-Test matches then you’re putting yourself in a place where nobody can move you, so you have that opportunity and only you have that opportunity,” he added.
Sri Lanka began the day 46-2 from 21 overs and batted out the day to reach 328-8 from 119 overs, thanks to a brilliant unbeaten 153 from Dhananjaya de Silva.
The Sri Lankans now have a lead of 279 runs heading into the fifth and final day with two wickets still in hand.
Simmons says with 98 overs on the final day, a target close to 300 would be a tough one for his team.
“Ninety-eight overs tomorrow and 300 runs to get is a little bit difficult, especially on a wicket that’s going to be turning a lot,” he said after a frustrating day for his players.
So far in Sri Lanka’s second innings, West Indies spinners have accounted for 95 of the 119 overs bowled but Simmons doesn’t believe the quick bowlers were underutilized.
“Not really. I think it was a case where the spinners had to be used more. The fast bowlers were used accordingly. That’s the situation with both teams because Lakmal didn’t bowl much for them,” he said.
Simmons also praised Dhananjaya for playing well rather than blaming his troops for taking their foot off the gas.
“I think Dhananjaya batted really well and controlled the game. The wicket wasn’t ragging as much as we thought it would on the fourth day and he controlled the innings. It was a superb hundred. I think he played us out of the game,” Simmons said while offering some hope for his side with the pitch seemingly improving for batting as the match progresses.
“The pitch looks to be good still. I think in the first Test too, on the fifth day, the pitch was still good and this pitch seems to be as good as that so when it’s rolled tomorrow, we’ll see how it plays out.”
When asked about his message to the team after such a tough afternoon session, Simmons said sometimes you just have to credit the opposition for playing well.
“Just have to appreciate the fact that some days you meet people who just play well. We fought hard. The bowlers fought hard. We did all that we could do. On the field we were energetic all the time so it’s just that he batted well,” he said.
The West Indies coach concluded by saying that his team should emulate how Dhananjaya played when it is their turn to bat on day five.
“We just have to make sure we bat with an attitude of wanting to score all the time while attempting to bat out the day. That’s what you should be looking to do if you can’t win the game,” he said.
Day five begins at 11:15 pm local time.
The West Indies will face Pakistan in three T20I and three ODIs during the tour that concludes on December 20 and Simmons is expecting members of the team to stand up and be counted.
“We’re looking to see who’s going to put their hand up to be a major player in this team. It’s about them putting up their hands and saying we want to go forward with this team. We want to do the things that are necessary to help this team win,” Simmons said.
Speaking in a press conference Friday after the team’s arrival in Pakistan, Simmons acknowledged that this is the team’s first white-ball assignment since the disastrous World Cup campaign and that it is time to move on from that.
“We know what happened in the World Cup and we’re not going to go back there. We’re looking to move forward and see who now wants to move forward with this team and our different ideas of how we want to play,” he said.
The former Ireland and Afghanistan coach also expressed that while many know what these players are capable of, it is time for them to show it in high-pressure situations.
“Yes, we have an idea of what they can deliver, but they’ve got to go out there and start showing us now that they can deliver under pressure. Playing against Pakistan in Pakistan is as much pressure as you can get,” said Simmons.
Simmons says he’s anticipating how the mental approach within the squad will change.
“We’re looking forward to seeing how things are going to change within this squad, not just from a cricketing point of view but also an attitude point of view,” Simmons said.
The West Indies coach also noted the threat of Pakistan left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi.
“He’s been brilliant for Pakistan and I’m sure he will continue to improve. Our batsmen will work on plans to of how to play him, how to score off him and we’ll see how their plans work out when the games come about,” said Simmons.
Simmons has been self-isolating since and will only be permitted to re-join the team on Thursday, July 2, if he returns two negative Covid-19 tests.
However, his decision to leave the bio-secure location has raised some concerns and questions over whether the head coach unilaterally decided to leave the facility where the team has been preparing for the coming three-Test series beginning July 8.
Grave assured that Simmons received permission from the Chief Medical Officers of Cricket West Indies and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
“Yes, he left to go to his father-in-law's funeral on Friday and is now going through the re-entry process having had his whole exit and entry approved and managed by the medical teams,” Grave said.
In Simmons’ absence, assistant coaches Roddy Estwick and Rayon Griffith will oversee the Windies four-day, first-class fixture that starts on Monday.
Floyd Reifer will be the batting coach
