West Indies head coach Darren Sammy did not mince words following his team’s humbling 124-run defeat to Ireland in the opening One-Day International at Castle Avenue in Dublin on Wednesday.

In a frank post-match assessment, the former captain chided his players for their timid approach with both bat and ball, as he believes the performance lacked intent and conviction.

"I thought we were quite timid both with the ball and bat. Our body language, especially from my batters, didn't look too confident. The opening bowlers for Ireland did challenge us with the new ball, but that's nothing we've not experienced before. So I think we were a little bit timid. I need my men to work with some more confidence and understand that they are good enough to come out and and and impact the game and win," Sammy said.

The match, which marked the West Indies’ return to ODI cricket after a five-month hiatus, quickly spiraled out of control. After winning the toss and choosing to bowl first on a green pitch, the visitors were unable to exploit early conditions. Ireland, who were led by Andy Balbirnie (112), Harry Tector (56), and captain Paul Stirling (54), capitalised as they posted a competitive 303-6.

While the pitch appeared to flatten out, Sammy believed the target was still chaseable. However, West Indies were reeling at 31-5 inside 10 overs. In fact, only Roston Chase (55) and Matthew Forde (38) salvaged any respectability with a 98-run stand as the innings folded at 179 in 34.1 overs.

"I thought we took a long time to really adjust to the plans that we had, especially winning the toss and bowling first on a fairly green pitch. We didn't maximise with the new ball. With that said, I thought their openers, the captain [Stirling] and the other opener [Balbirnie], batted quite well, but we didn't put enough balls in the areas that we wanted to. But with that said, seeing how good the wicket played, we thought 300 was maybe a below-par total from the position they were in, and then they won the power play again against us again," Sammy assessed as he cut a disappointed figure.

"Cricket is about playing well on both sides; you've got to be able to start well. We didn't start well on both sides of the innings. Losing five wickets in the power play, chasing 300, you're always going to struggle, and apart from Roston and Matthew with the bat, there was not much to speak about," he added.

That said, Sammy, who has been pushing a more assertive and proactive brand of cricket since taking over the reins, was particularly irked by the passive approach at the crease. 

"There are some things we speak about in terms of the brand that we want to play. I'm not looking to survive. I hate to see my batsmen in survival mode; we should always be looking to score. Surviving doesn't mean just blocking it out," Sammy reasoned.

"You have to find a way to rotate the strike, and that is something we've spoken about for the last decade or so. But yeah, it's just the whole body language and the attitude towards absorbing pressure but finding the right time to put the pressure back on, and we didn't do that today," he noted.

The second ODI is set for Friday, with the final contest scheduled for Sunday.