London: West Indies coach Phil Simmons said his batsmen must hit the ground running in England to give their impressive pace attack totals to defend. The tourists are stepping up their preparations for next month’s three-Test series with an informal three-day game between squad members that starts on Tuesday (June 23).
That will be followed by an 11 v 11 match, more closely mirroring the conditions of a first-class game, in the run-up to the first Test, which starts in Southampton on July 8.
The West Indies attack features Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel and captain Jason Holder, with Alzarri Joseph — tipped by Simmons to be a “big hit” — also in the squad. But their batsmen have struggled to build big totals in recent years.
The West Indies beat England 2-1 in the Caribbean last year but have not won a Test series in England since 1988. Simmons said the batsmen were showing good form in practice and the training matches would help the West Indies decide how they would structure the team.
“We’ve had occasions when we’ve toured and only after the first game we start really playing cricket so it’s something we’re trying to get out of our system and make sure we’re ready to go when we get to Southampton,” he said.
“Most of the senior batsmen are seasoned players,” he added. “Mentally, I think they’re tough. I just think we need to continue working on our skills.”
The series will feature a mouthwatering clash between the two top-ranked all-rounders in Test cricket — West Indies skipper Holder and England vice-captain Ben Stokes.
