Simmons: Batting in need of ‘urgent attention’

AHMEDABAD, India (CMC):

Head coach Phil Simmons conceded yesterday that West Indies’ frail batting required “urgent attention” after the Caribbean side were whitewashed by India following a 96-run defeat in the final One-Day International.

West Indies failed to reach 200 in any of the three matches at the Narendra Modi Stadium, dismissed for 176, 193 and 169, with all-rounder Jason Holder the only player to notch a half-century.

“It (batting) does need urgent attention because it has just lost us the last two games,” Simmons said.

“When you’re bowling India out for 230 and 260, you expect to chase it. Just under a year ago, we were cruising to 280 and 290 against Sri Lanka who have similar spinners and things like that.

“So the batting is a huge concern and people have got to stand up now as we go into our next set of ODIs in June … and make sure they’re batting for West Indies. It is a huge concern.”

The result comes on the back of a shock series loss to Ireland in Jamaica last month, where West Indies’ batting was again at fault in the three matches at Sabina Park.

FAILED TO BUILD PARTNERSHIPS

And, against India here, West Indies failed to build partnerships, often losing wickets in clusters and failing to negotiate tough periods of play.

While stressing that technique was not an issue, Simmons pointed to a lack of situational awareness and the manner of dismissals as the major stumbling blocks for his batsmen.

“It’s a simple thing. We’ve got to assess the situation and play according to the situation,” he explained.

“They’re all batsmen who can bat. Most of the guys who played in that top five or six have Test hundreds or Test runs, so they can bat.

“We see Shreyas Iyer and (Rishabh) Pant come out today and [India] in trouble, and they batted for a while. They assessed the situation and realised they had to do that. So our batters have got to assess the situation and know that we’ve got to bat for a while.

“We can’t be a 100 for six in 20-something overs in a 50-over game, and that’s the crux of the matter. They have to assess the situation and play accordingly. In some situations, we are assessing but our execution is not the best.”

And having watched West Indies lose their last three ODI series on the trot, Simmons said the situation needed to be arrested quickly.

“I think the mode of dismissals [is] the biggest [issue]. I think, if we’re assessing the situation and we’re playing according to the situation and you get out, then that’s execution,” he said.