The West Indies are keen to expose their players to top-class batsmen in the India and New Zealand lineups as they hone their skills in preparation for the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year .
Speaking to the media after the 68-run defeat against India in the first T20 International of a five-match series at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba on Friday, West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran asked the crowd to “have faith and patience”. with his players, who he wants to “embrace” the pressure that comes with the T20 format.
Asked about using just one spinner and spinning his fastballs in Friday’s match, Pooran said that given the conditions in Australia for the World Cup, “we would need our players to get more experience and these eight games here. in the Caribbean (five against India, three against New Zealand), are the games where we can give the boys that.
“Today was a good performance for us with the wind factor. I think we played in good grounds, but not for a long period, but it was good for us to play together and let these guys play in front of big crowds, because Australia will be the same. “
Pooran noted that the players in the 16-man squad selected for the India-New Zealand series “are the same group of guys who will go there to do us proud” at the World Cup and that giving them the experience now is crucial and will help them better cope with high-pressure situations in the future.
“It’s good for us to come out and experiment a bit, but having said that, the boys showed up, but we have to keep our nerve in big moments, especially when the pressure is on,” the West Indies captain explained.
“We have to embrace it (high-stakes moments) with quality batting inside and a big crowd watching. These guys need to get used to this atmosphere and it’s a good opportunity for all of us here,” he continued.
“I think we have to keep playing together and understand what we’re trying to do here and have faith and patience in this group.”
Asked if the team had missed having a second spinner, Pooran said: “In hindsight when you look at it, yes. But our game plan was definitely not to give too much spin to these Indian batsmen, especially to Brian Lara, who is also a good batting counter.
“We thought our batsmen could go down from 175 to 180, especially with the extra all-rounders in Odean Smith and Keemo Paul. Unfortunately, today Brandon King and Romario Shepherd were unable to play due to their appointment (visa). (But) guys are getting opportunities and that’s great for this group,” Pooran concluded.
Windies take on India in the second T20I at Warner Park in St Kitts tomorrow.
Upcoming matches
Monday August 1: 2nd Gold T20I at Warner Park, St Kitts
Tuesday August 2: 3rd Gold Medal T20I at Warner Park
Saturday August 6: 4th Gold Medal T20I at Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill, Florida
Sunday August 7: 5th Gold Medal T20I at Broward County Stadium
