Darren Sammy knows a thing or two about turning the tide. As the only man to captain the West Indies to two ICC T20 World Cup titles, his resume is filled with triumphs that sprang from adversity. But as he surveys the wreckage of a humbling 3-0 series defeat to England, the West Indies head coach is clear-eyed about the challenge ahead and the urgency it demands.
It was a bruising series for the Caribbean side, as England’s batters, like they did in the ODI sweep, dominated proceedings, making light work of West Indies' attack, which repeatedly failed to defend competitive totals or apply sustained pressure.
Only former captain Rovman Powell managed to cross the 100-run mark across the three matches. On the bowling front, the hosts showed up not just with power but with purpose and executed their plans with poise even when under pressure. It was a contrast Sammy could not ignore.
"I think it is a question of skills. When being put under pressure, do we have the skillset to be disciplined with our plans? Do we back our ability long enough, especially from a bowling point of view? We have been trying to figure out how to restrict teams when they put us under the pump. We will have patches where the batting team gets the better of you, but you are able to pull it back," Sammy said in a post-series assessment.
"We have seen England do it when we put them under pressure and they had the ability to go to a plan and get results. That’s the thing that worries me most when I see that I have the best players from the Caribbean here, so it’s a conversation of how do we get our bowling right with the World Cup less than eight months away?" he added.
Sammy’s frustration is rooted not just in recent results but in the repeated nature of the problems. The batting lineup, he argued, has held its own in recent times. The bowlers, however, have been a step behind, as they conceded mammoth totals and struggled to defend even when the batters gave them a cushion.
"We need to think about it because we have been consistent over the last two years, but we can't keep asking our batters to chase down high 200s, and then when we set 190, our bowling can't defend it," Sammy rued.
But as always, Sammy’s message is not without hope. The former all-rounder, known for his energy and positivity, remains confident that a solution is within reach. With the T20 World Cup now just eight months away, the Windies have a packed fixture list to fine-tune their squad.
"I am a very positive guy, and I believe in between now we can get it together. The guys go to Ireland, and then I think we have five against Australia, three against Pakistan at home, three against Bangladesh, and three against New Zealand, so we have enough time and games to put a combination together," Sammy declared.
For now, the West Indies' search for consistency will start against Ireland as that three-match series bowls off on Thursday at 9:00am Jamaica time, with the next two games scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.