Georgetown – Assistant coach Roddy Estwick said on Wednesday it was critical West Indies urgently found solutions to the problems plaguing their One-Day International performances, after slipping to another series defeat to Bangladesh.
West Indies were hammered by nine wickets after mustering a paltry 108 off 35 overs – their second lowest total against the Tigers – to trail 0-2 in the three-match series.
The defeat was their second in four days after losing the series opener by six wickets on Sunday after a similar lacklustre batting effort, when they managed only 149.
“Just a week ago, we were winning the Test series, we were winning the T20 series,” Estwick told reporters.
“We come here, we’re two-down in this ODI series – we’re obviously very, very, very disappointed, but you’ve got to try and lift the group.”
Estwick added: “The key thing is not to allow the confidence to drain out of the group. We’ve got to find a way to lift people. We’ve got to find a way to have open discussions and come up with solutions that will move us forward.
“We’re still planning for the 2023 [World Cup]. We know the areas we’re falling down in, we know that teams are going to come and bowl a lot of spin against us, and we’ve got to find ways to make sure we get better at rotating the strike and different things like that.”
The toss played a key role in both matches, Bangladesh calling correctly on both occasions and deciding to field on Guyana National Stadium pitches with plenty of moisture, due to recent heavy rain in the country.
Estwick said, however, West Indies batsmen had failed to adapt, and pointed to all-rounder Keemo Paul, who led the way with 25 not out yesterday, as the template for batting in the conditions.
“We didn’t adjust to the conditions,” Estwick said. “We obviously struggled to get any kind of momentum.
“We’re very, very disappointed – we can’t make any excuses. Once you get bowled out inside 50 overs, obviously, it’s a worry, it’s a concern. The players are all very disappointed – [captain Nicholas] Pooran is disappointed, the coaches are disappointed.”
The final ODI is set for Saturday at the same venue.
(CMC)