West Indies captain, Kraigg Brathwaite, admits a recurring problem is the team's ability to spend longer at the crease, on the back of a dismal performance against Sri Lanka in the recently concluded tour.
With very few exceptions, the Windies batsmen struggled to make an impact against a crafty Sri Lanka spin attack, which anchored a dominant 2-0 series win for the hosts in Galle. A closer look at the team’s batting statistics did not make for good reading.
In two matches, only three batsmen managed a combined total of over 100 runs. Nkrumah Bonner was the team’s most successful batsman putting up a total of 148, over the two matches, with a high score of 68 and an average of 49.33. Brathwaite was next with 119, his average working out to 29.75, with a high score of 72. Jermaine Blackwood was the third batsman to reach triple figures after totalling 109, averaging 27.25 and getting a high score of 44.
By comparison, Sri Lanka had five players total over 100 over both Tests, with two, Dhananjaya de Silva and Dimuth Karunaratne, getting over 200 runs.
When it comes to partnerships, the West Indies had only one that was worth 100 runs, which took place between Bonner and Da Silva in 44 overs. By comparison, Sri Lanka achieved the feat 6 times.
“Batting-wise we let ourselves down, we just didn’t get big enough totals to cause any pressure on Sri Lanka,” Brathwaite said, following the match.
With the West Indies set to face England in January of next year, the captain believes the team must find ways to work on its concentration if things are to improve.
“Really and truly it all boils down to having the discipline and doing it for long periods. I don’t think it will change in terms of spin-friendly conditions or batting in the Caribbean,” he added.
“Wherever you may play, it’s about having that discipline throughout to bat for longer periods, I think that’s what we need. We are showing that we can do it, but we are not doing it for long enough.”
West Indies Women to tour India for three ODIs and three T20Is in December
The West Indies Women will be in action next month when they tour India from December 15-27.
The series, part of the 2022-2025 Future Tours Programme (FTP), will see the Windies taking on India in three T20Is and three ODIs in Navi Mumbai and Vadodara.
The T20Is are scheduled for December 15, 17 and 19 followed by the ODIs on December 22, 24 and 27.
This will be a valuable experience for the regional side in conditions they should experience at next year’s ODI World Cup in India.
West Indies last played a white-ball series in India eight years ago, winning the T20I series 3-0 before losing the ODIs 0-3.
Volcanoes secure second win of the season with 98-run DLS method victory over CCC
The Windward Islands Volcanoes got their second positive result in this year’s CG United Super50 Cup alive with a 98-run DLS method win over the Combined Campuses and Colleges at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Wednesday.
In a match reduced to 44 overs per side, the Windwards produced an excellent batting effort after being inserted by the CCC.
The 2018 champions produced a score of 307-7 in their 44 overs thanks to half centuries from Alick Athanaze, captain Sunil Ambris and Kavem Hodge.
Athanaze led the way with 77 off 75 balls including 12 fours and a six. Ambris made a 63-ball 70 including eight fours while Hodge made an even 50 off 47 balls including five fours.
West Indies Under-19 captain Stephan Pascal also chipped in with 41 as Amari Goodridge and Romario Greaves each took two wickets.
Set a revised target of 312 off their 44 overs, the CCC could only muster up 213 in 36.3 overs before being bowled out.
Jonathan Drakes led the way with 55 off 68 balls against Shadrack Descarte who bowled with skill on his way to figures of 4-43 from 6.3 overs of medium pace.
Darius Martin and Kenneth Dember provided good support with two wickets, each.
Full Scores:
Windward Islands Volcanoes 307-7 off 44 overs (Alick Athanaze 77, Sunil Ambris 70, Kavem Hodge 50, Stephan Pascal 44, Amari Goodridge 2-43, Romario Greaves 2-68
Combined Campuses and Colleges 213 off 36.3 overs (Jonathan Drakes 55, Johann Jeremiah 29, Shadrack Descarte 4-43, Darius Martin 2-33, Kenneth Dember 2-33.
Maxwell leads Australia to opening T20I victory
Glenn Maxwell's impressive 43 powered Australia to a 29-run victory over Pakistan in their opening T20I, which was heavily affected by rain.
Both teams were able to play seven overs each after a thunderstorm in Brisbane delayed proceedings, but it did not affect Australia's performance as they took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Matt Short (7) and Jake Fraser-McGurk (9) were both taken early, but Maxwell's 43 off 19 balls, which included eight boundaries, turned the tide.
Abbas Afridi (2-9) took him and Tim David (10), but with Marcus Stoinis' 21, the damage was already done as Australia finished 93-4.
Pakistan struggled to gain any momentum, with none of their first six batters hitting double figures and Sahibzada Farhan's eight was the best of that group.
The wickets toppled thanks to Xavier Bartlett (3-13) and Nathan Ellis (3-9), and even though Afridi salvaged some pride with his unbeaten 20 to help them reach 64-9, they fell short of their target.
Data Debrief: Home advantage
Despite the shortened nature of the game, Australia still made their mark in some style. They extended their winning run in Brisbane in the process, with this their fifth T20I victory in a row at The Gabba.
On the other side, Babar Azam will have been hoping for a better performance on what was a landmark day for him - he has now made the outright most appearances for Pakistan in T20Is (124), overtaking Shoaib Malik. He also broke the record for the most catches by a fielder in T20Is for Pakistan (52), going past Fakhar Zaman's 50.
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