Richards wants more killer instinct from Windies skipper
New coach Simmons calls for a change in mindset
Former West Indies great Vivian Richards says current skipper Denesh Ramdin needs to lead the team with more aggression following their loss to England in the second Test.
England lead the series 1-0, after drawing the first Test in Antigua and winning the second in Grenada by nine wickets. “There are times when he is positive and there are times when, sometimes, where the falling asleep syndrome sort of comes into play. You can see from the outside; when England were 40 something for three, there could have been some much more aggressive attitude in terms of getting [Joe] Root and [Ian] Bell out,” Richards said.
West Indies have been heavily criticised for surrendering a position of strength and crashing to defeat in the second Test by losing their last eight second innings wickets for 105 runs.
Richards, who as captain won 27 and lost eight in 50 Tests, says there was no reason for the Caribbean side to lose the game.
“One has got to remember also that if you cannot win the match you should not lose. It wasn’t a devil as a wicket, but we still got out and especially from good positions,” Richards, regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all times, said.
“It’s all about playing as hard as you can knowing you are behind and the only thing you have left now is basically for you to try and draw the series. We haven’t totally been outplayed, so at least there is a chance.”
New head coach of the West Indies cricket team, Phil Simmons said in Bridgetown, Barbados, that he was startled by his side’s batting display against England on the morning of the final day of the second Test in Grenada.
Meek surrender
Resuming the final day on 202/2 with a lead of 37 runs, the West Indies lost their last eight wickets for 105 runs, to be all out for 307. The Caribbean team surrendered a strong position, allowing England to win the Test by nine wickets and lead the series 1-0.
“You hear people talk about how bad this is or how bad that is. But when you’re in the camp, it’s not all as bad as people say. But there has been nothing as startling as the way we batted on the last morning in Grenada. There is learning to be done,” Simmons said.
They lost six wickets for 84 runs in the first session on the final day as James Anderson tore through the middle-order with the new ball. Simmons, a former West Indies all-rounder, described the batting as “reckless.”
“We had two hours of negligence on the last day in Grenada and we lost the game. It was a reckless period. It just needed a couple of guys to bat for another half-hour or so and we would have saved the game,” he said.
The third and final Test starts tomorrow in Barbados.