Cricket West Indies (CWI) Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams, has questioned whether West Indies and regional cricketers are aggressive enough with their approach to honing their craft and overall self-improvement.
The issue comes to the for on the back of a tough, lopsided loss to South Africa, where the batsmen, in particular, struggled to deal with the guile and pace of the opposition bowlers. Many, however, will point to the team’s proclivity to succumb to batting collapses as a chronic illness. From his perspective, the situation has left the former batsman to ponder about the amount of work and investment being put in by individual players behind the scenes.
He, however, admitted that the overall issue was a complicated and difficult one to assess.
“Is it that heading into a Test series we aren’t preparing well enough technically and mentally, or is it that when players have their own downtime they are not targeting key areas that are critical,” Adams asked on the Mason and Guest radio program.
“Any successful player, at the international level or the elite level, who stays there for any period of time, would have spent all of that time doing remedial work because the cycle never ends,” he added.
“If you get exposed, you cover that gap. When you think you have that gap covered you get exposed somewhere else. You talk to any of them, the Laras the Ricky Pontings, the Sachins, they can confirm that they spent all their careers doing remedial work.”
Against the South Africans, the Windies batsmen were floored for 97 in the first innings and never managed to make 200 in any of the four innings against the visitors.
“I would throw it out for consideration, do we have that mindset amongst our quote and quote elite players? I’m not talking about just international players; I’m talking about first-class cricketers as well. Are they attacking themselves enough?
“Not just batsmen, bowlers, and wicketkeepers as well. The one thing that you can guarantee at the international level is you will know where your weaknesses are. If you are deaf and blind, then the rest of the world will know. The critical question is am I as a player embracing that? I am taking ownership in a way that as soon as I have my spare time I am attacking myself, I am getting at my weaknesses because the opposition already has it.”
Jamaica Scorpions facing possible defeat after following on against T&T Red Force at Torouba
Jamaica Scorpions are in danger of losing another match this season after play on the second day of their fifth-round match against Trinidad and Tobago Red Force at Torouba on Thursday.
At stumps, Jamaica following on after being bowled out for 125 in response to Trinidad’s 302, were 199-5, a lead of 22 with only five second-innings wickets in hand.
Jamaica has been poor this season and Thursday was no different. Resuming on 5-1, the Scorpions were skittled out for 125. They would not have made as much had it not been for their bowlers Derval Green (39) and Jeavor Royal (27) who shared in an eight-wicket stand of 62 that took the side from an embarrassing 50-7.
Tion Webster was the main destroyer taking 5-30 with Terrance Hinds backing him up with 3-40.
Following on 177 behind, Jamaica lost Tevin Gilzene for two but found some steel in the form of a second-wicket stand of 104 between opener Leroy Lugg and Jermaine Blackwood. Lugg eventually fell to the bowling of Anderson Phillip for 66.
Blackwood and Carlos Brown added 50 for the third wicket but then Brown was dismissed by Imran Khan for 16 to leave Jamaica on 162-3.
Blackwood fell to Bryan Charles for 68 as Jamaica slipped to 172-4. Brad Barnes went for 14 leaving Jamaica in further trouble at 191-5, a lead of only 14.
Abhijai Mansingh will resume on 10 and Aldane Thomas seven when play begins on Friday.
Phillip has so far taken 2-21 and Charles 2-68 for Trinidad and Tobago who will be looking to wrap up victory on the third day of play.
Tournament leaders Harpy Eagles hold 77-run advantage over Hurricanes after day two at Providence
Tournament leaders Guyana Harpy Eagles ended day two of their final round game against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes with a 77-run second innings lead at Providence.
The Leewards made 247 all out off 92.1 overs after starting the day 133-5.
Captain Jahmar Hamilton finished not out on 58 while Kofi James contributed 42 and Rakheem Cornwall 24 against 4-33 from 12.1 overs from pacer Nial Smith and 3-51 off 31 overs from Veerasammy Permaul.
The Harpy Eagles ended the day 48-1 in their second innings, leading by 77 runs with Tagenarine Chanderpaul on 20 and Kevlon Anderson on 19.
Jeremiah Louis took the only wicket to fall so far, removing Matthew Nandu for three.
Moseley scores 112, Edward grabs 6-43 as Volcanoes hold narrow 24-run lead over Pride at Queen’s Park Oval
Shayne Moseley scored a hundred and Larry Edward took a six-wicket haul as the Windward Islands Volcanoes closed day two of their final round fixture with the Barbados Pride with a narrow 24-run second innings lead at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad.
The Pride were bowled out for 227 off 90.4 overs in response to the Windwards’ 237 all out on day one.
Moseley scored 112 off 184 balls, his fifth first-class hundred, including 17 fours and one six.
Larry Edward took 6-43 off 29.4 overs for the Volcanoes.
The Windwards had a disastrous end to the day, losing four wickets in only eight overs.
Kimani Melius (7), Johann Jeremiah (0), Sherman Lewis (2) and Alick Athanaze (0) all fell as the Volcanoes ended day two 14-4 after eight overs with Kavem Hodge and Sunil Ambris at the crease on four and zero, respectively.
Jomel Warrican has, so far, taken two wickets from two overs without conceding a run.
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