West Indies ‘starting from scratch’ before Pakistan Test series

Pakistan cricketers during a training session ahead of the 1st Test against West Indies at Sabina Park, Kingston  (AFP)

West Indies and Pakistan commence a two-Test series at Sabina Park in Jamaica today with head coach Phil Simmons concerned about the readiness of the home players for what is expected to be a formidable challenge from talented but mercurial opponents.  

With the vulnerability of the hosts’ batting mercilessly exploited by South Africa two months ago in a similar two-Test duel in St Lucia, Simmons made clear his displeasure on Monday that most of his Test match specialists did very little, if anything, while away from the international scene.  

Over the past six week the Windies took on the South Africans, Australians and Pakistanis in a succession of limited-over fixtures. 

 
 “A lot of the players said they didn’t get any work done in their home territories before this camp and the four-day game,” said the former West Indies all-rounder following a four-day warm-fixture ahead of the opening encounter.  
 “It’s disappointing to find out there’s nothing done and we have to start from scratch here.” That is not an encouraging sign going into the series, especially if the pitches for the two matches at Sabina Park have anything like the pace and bounce of the Daren Sammy Stadium.  

Kraigg Brathwaite’s team were thrashed by the Proteas in consecutive matches with the pace trio of Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi obliterating a batting line-up that failed to get past 165 in four innings.  
On the back of four consecutive Test wins, including convincing successes over the same South Africans on home soil, Pakistan would not appear to be burdened by similar concerns.  

Back-to-back innings triumphs over an extremely weak Zimbabwe outfit in Harare in their last series could hardly be considered a reliable indicator of anticipated performance against more formidable opponents.  However whether the conditions favour the faster bowlers or spinners, the West Indies headache remains very much with their batting as captain Brathwaite’s struggles at the top of the order in the last two series seem to have become a template for those who follow him in the line-up.  

It is an obvious vulnerability that Pakistan will seek to exploit, although their own tendencies towards the irrational and the inconsistent leave the window slightly ajar for an underdog home team to push these visitors to a degree which was completely absent amid the annihilation at the hands of the South Africans in June.

-AFP