Adaptability critical for new-look WI side, says Hope

AMSTERDAM, Holland (CMC):

Vice-captain Shai Hope has underscored the importance of adaptability in West Indies’ batting approach when they face the Netherlands and Pakistan in One-Day International series over the next month.

Pointing to the Caribbean’s reputation as a six-hitting unit, the 28-year-old Hope said it was critical that batsmen adjusted to match situations while also playing to the overall team plan if they were to post or chase the type of totals required to win.

West Indies face the Netherlands in a three-match series starting here Tuesday and take on Pakistan in another three-match series bowling off June 8 in Rawalpindi.

“You still have to look at who you have in the squad and what their strengths are, [and] we need to find a way to buy into the players’ strengths and formulate a plan to fit into the team’s plans,” Hope told media last Saturday.

“I wouldn’t say we have as many six-hitters in this team – we do have powerful players especially at the back end of the innings – but it’s about trying to get the best out of that batsman to score the same runs.

“You can hit a six and have five dot balls and you can run six singles in an over, and that’s the same six runs, so it’s about trying to find a way to score those runs to give the team the best chance of defending or chasing a score.”

West Indies have been criticised in the past for their high dot ball count and inadequate running between the wickets, with power-hitting becoming their trademark, especially with the likes of veteran Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Andre Russell, and former Kieron Pollard in the line-up.

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However, West Indies are featuring a new-look side for both upcoming series, Pollard having retired from international cricket, Gayle also on his way out, and Russell and Lewis overlooked.

And Hope said with new players being integrated into the squad, it would take time to change the culture and create a new identity.

“It’s something that can’t be fixed or changed overnight. It’s something that we have to stick to a particular process to see it come good,” the Barbadian contended.

Hope is one of the ODI side’s leading batsmen, boasting an outstanding career average of 50 from 89 matches with ten hundreds. In an astonishing 18-month run of form starting in late 2019, the stylish right-hander averaged 82 from 15 ODIs, notching four hundreds and six half-centuries.

He struggled in the last series against India earlier this year, managing only 40 runs from three innings but struck a hundred last week in the West Indies first-class championship to hint at a return to his best.