Leicester, England – Ottis Gibson said West Indies will be looking to regain their confidence, when they face Leicestershire in a two-day, tour match, starting on Saturday here.
Windies coach Ottis Gibson. Photo courtesy of Brooks La Touche Photography and WindiesCricket.com
The West Indies coach said the match was the perfect opportunity for a number of players that have struggled in the first two Tests against England to find their feet again.
West Indies trail 0-2 in the three-Test series with the third and final match scheduled to start next Thursday at Edgbaston in Birmingham.
“I think ‘self-confidence’ is the element that’s lacking at the moment,” said Gibson.
“It’s not that we cannot [play well] because we have seen passages of play, where we have done it, but we have not been doing it consistently.
“This is the key – trying to find that consistency of play that will make us more of a threat and a challenge, putting us closer to winning Test matches.”
Gibson said the match was a big opportunity for the top-order batsmen, in particular, to get some more practice before the final Test.
“It’s about them finding that ‘feel-good’ factor heading into the next Test,” he said.
“We have been competitive in the two Tests and there have been passages of play, where we have been excellent.
“But our batting has left us a little short. Hopefully, they can spend some time in the middle and work to build their confidence.”
Gibson said he had few or no concerns about the way the players have been preparing themselves for the battle.
“I can’t fault the way that we have prepared for matches since we have arrived,” he said. “We have been using the time wisely.
“I mean it’s been wet here in Leicester, and our preparations have been hampered a bit, but we still managed to get outside and do some work – and the batsmen have been spending a lot of time on the bowling machines.”
Gibson said all of the players that missed the second Test, which ended last Monday at Trent Bridge in Nottingham, will get a chance to prove themselves.
This means batsmen Narsingh Deonarine and compatriot Assad Fudadin, as well fast bowlers Tino Best and Fidel Edwards will be included this weekend.
“On a short tour like this it is important to give everybody an opportunity to have a hit,” said Gibson. “They have not played yet and some of the others are due a break.”
Gibson said the match will also be vital to determine who will replace Kemar Roach as the strike bowler in the side.
The fast bowler was sidelined with shin muscle soreness and returned home to Barbados earlier this week.
He was West Indies’ most effective bowler in the two Tests against England, although he bowled better than his eight wickets at 34.25 apiece suggested.
“Tino has looked pretty good and has worked pretty hard, so I am really looking forward to seeing him bowl and Fidel has shown a lot of really good signs of getting back to his old self,” said Gibson.
“They have bowled excellently in practice. Hopefully, these two guys can spearhead the attack in this game and put themselves in the frame for the Test as well.”