By Marlon Munroe
With a question mark constantly lingering over what the West Indies team will do next, the team’s coach Ottis Gibson is adamant that it is in no position to take any team for granted while Zimbabwe’s Captain Prosper Utseya has implored his players not to get ahead of themselves.
The new West Indies coach when he spoke with local media operatives yesterday at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) also explained that complacency was not responsible for his team losing to the touring Zimbabwe team in the lone Twenty20 international in Trinidad & Tobago on Sunday. He also warned that his team will be going hard at the Zimbabweans in the first ODI on Thursday at the Guyana National Stadium.
He indicated that while winning was never easy he admitted that the touring side exploited the situation of the pitch better. Further, he said that what is important for the players is for them to quickly move on from Sunday and deal with what lies ahead.
Utseya, speaking to Stabroek Sport after the team’s practice session at the stadium yesterday, noted that his team, which is currently ranked last in the ICC rankings, is gelling nicely after the win and his team was asked to respect the game and the opposition. He admitted that there are improvements to be made and the idea currently swirling around the camp and in team meetings is for the players to learn from their mistakes in the match last Sunday, especially since seven of their batsmen failed to trouble the scorers in the match. “There is still room for improvement in terms of how we think and we need to fix our mistakes. We don’t expect an easy game and if we do our best, we will be successful. We don’t want to take West Indies lightly and we have to play out of our skin and remain focused for Thursday and throughout the ODIs,” Utseya stated.
When he was asked how significant was the win for the team and their fans back home especially considering the turbulent times cricket has endured in the African nation, he replied that the “people are proud and it was good to put a smile on their faces but it was doubly rewarding for the team since the win will be used as a bargaining chip for the team to continue to lift its performance.”
Gibson said that the players are trying to regain some confidence after the Australian tour where the team was completely beaten. Therefore, the team’s practice sessions were structured in a way that presented the players with real game scenarios.
“We are gaining confidence from practice since the preparation for winning starts with practice. What happened on Sunday knocked some confidence out of us but we have regrouped nicely. The captain is back and his presence around the guys gives them a bit of a lift and some energy,” Gibson pointed out.
He also noted that there were some positive signs coming out last Sunday in the fielding and bowling departments but he strongly believes the team has to work on its batting. He indicated that the young players in the side also understand their roles.
Gibson commented: “The guys fully understand where they are at the moment; the roles that we are asking them to perform and now the main thing is for them to go out and execute.”
