MELBOURNE, Australia, CMC – Head coach Phil Simmons says West Indies will use the two official warm-up games to finalise their planning for the crucial qualifying stage of the Twenty20 World Cup.
The Caribbean side face minnows United Arab Emirates on Monday (yesterday, 8 pm Eastern Caribbean time) at Junction Oval here before taking on the Netherlands at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday at 7 pm (4 am EST).
“The two warm-up games are about getting things to work together, about getting the plans we have in place, about making sure players are getting sharper and sharper as they go along,” Simmons said.
He added: “The mood in the camp has been very good. We played two games … and we lost the two games but at the same time, some of the things we’re trying to put in place are starting to come in place and the mood in the camp has been excellent.”
West Indies are coming off the back of a clean sweep to world champions Australia in a two-match series last week, losing by three wickets in Gold Coast and 31 runs in Brisbane.
The series loss was their third in a row following similar results against New Zealand and India in the Caribbean, and they have now won only two of their last 10 T20 Internationals.
Not for the first time, the West Indies batting underwent a severe testing and was found wanting, but Simmons said work was ongoing in this aspect.
“The batsmen understand what we need to add to get to where we want to be and they’ve been working hard,” he explained.
“We had a good net session with everyone and everyone is looking forward to playing in the practice games, getting in the middle and doing what is necessary for the team.
“So far, the enthusiasm and excitement is there in all the players so that’s good to see.”
Following the warm-ups, West Indies will take on Scotland, Ireland and Zimbabwe in Group B of a tricky qualifying series, with the top two teams from Group A and B advancing to the main draw.
