West Indies head coach Daren Sammy has promised a looking out evaluation of his batting line‑up—and notably of out‑of‑type opener Kraigg Brathwaite—after Australia sealed the collection with a 134‑run victory in Grenada.
The hosts wilted for 143 in pursuit of 277, and the margin would have been uglier had it not been for one more late‑order flurry from Shamar Joseph.
Brathwaite’s centenary turns bitter
The coach didn’t mince phrases in regards to the former captain, who marked his a hundredth Check with scores of 0 and 7 to comply with 4 and 4 in Barbados.
“He hasn’t seemed good this collection, and in a group the place you might be looking for performances, you get very near say ‘okay, can we give any individual else an opportunity?’” Sammy admitted.
Brathwaite now averages 18.68 throughout his final 35 Check innings, with solely three half‑centuries in that span.
Australia’s tempo pack exposes fragile high order
West Indies staggered to 33 for 4 by lunch on day 4 as Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood unleashed a six‑over burst that shredded the center order and left the rating at 99 for 7—no acknowledged batter in sight. Sammy conceded that his younger line‑up had been requested to unravel a frightening puzzle in opposition to “Australia’s relentless quick‑bowling cartel” on two unforgiving pitches.
Whereas accepting the blunt actuality of a collection already misplaced, Sammy preached persistence:
“I do perceive the journey that I took on, and Rome shouldn’t be going to be inbuilt a day… A number of the attitudes which might be altering give me hope.”
He singled out Steven Smith as a mannequin of technical adaptability and insisted the West Indian batters should study to make related changes.
The pitch downside
Sammy once more urged regional stakeholders to enhance first‑class wickets:
“Once you have a look at the surfaces that we play on, it’s onerous… These kind of pitches don’t let you come up technically sound, since you’re actually not sure. There’s at all times doubt.”
A coordinated push—full with touring head groundsmen—is underway to offer tracks the place batters “can belief their strategies.”
There was pleasure, nevertheless, in a bowling unit that dismissed Australia for 286 and 243.
“Our bowling, we are able to’t fault them, they’ve gotten 40 wickets. I don’t know when final we acquired 40 wickets in opposition to a high‑three group in two Check matches,” Sammy famous. The duty now could be making certain the batters can “present a bit bit extra struggle” to enrich that effort.
Pink‑ball first awaits at Sabina
Consideration shifts to Jamaica’s inaugural day‑evening Check at Sabina Park, the place the groups will use the pink Dukes ball—nonetheless en path to Sammy’s squad. Regardless of considerations over floor preparation, the coach known as the fixture “a historic occasion” and expressed confidence it should proceed beneath lights as deliberate.
