WI v IRE 2022: Phil Simmons admits West Indies' lacking quality in batting after ODI series loss to Ireland

West Indies lost the three match ODI series against Ireland by the margin of 2-1.

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West Indies head coach Phil Simmons admitted that his side lacks quality in batting which needs to be sorted as soon as possible. West Indies suffered a 2-1 ODI series loss against Ireland.

After winning the first match by 24 runs, the Kieron Pollard-led side was at the receiving end of two disappointing defeats in the last two matches. 

West Indian batting was not up to the mark in the series as they failed to cross the 270-run mark even once in the series and didn’t bat their full quota of 50 overs in all three matches. 

Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, West Indies head coach Phil Simmons said that his side has a batting problem. He pointed out errors in the system, saying that they have to prepare players for international level, and having an average of 20s and 30s in domestic cricket won’t prepare them for high level. 

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"It's there to see: our batting quality is not there. Everything comes from lower down: if you're coming into our squad and you're averaging 30s when you come to the top level, you're not going to average 40 or 50. 

“The holistic approach means that all through the ranks, all the way from the Under-19s, we have to be looking at preparing people to play at the international level. Averaging 20s and 30s at the domestic level doesn't prepare you for the international level," Phil Simmons said. 

Simmons said that West Indies batters are not assessing and playing the situation. He pointed out that bad shot selection is a ‘huge part’ of their batting failure. 

"How much the players are assessing the situation and playing the situation... it's not really happening. Yes, Sabina Park was a difficult pitch to bat on for all three days at the start of the innings, but we got through most of the difficult period and then things went astray. It's about bad shot selection ... that's a huge part of the batting failure," he said. 

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Simmons said that he’s not worried about his job but is only concerned about how to get players to execute their roles. He added that a coach is always under pressure and when the team performs well, they are forgotten. 

"If I start worrying about my job then I have problems. I am worried about the success of the team and I am worried about how we get players to be playing their roles. That's all I'm concerned about. 

“You're always under pressure as coaches when the team's not doing well, in any sport you play, and when the team is doing well, the coaches are forgotten. That's the nature of the job," he said. 

Phil Simmons further said that he’s enjoying his job and is trying to bring different things out of players. He added that not assessing the situation is where it’s all falling for his side. 

"I enjoy it every day. My role is seeing the players and working with them, trying to bring out different things in them. To be honest, when we practice, there's a lot coming out, there's a lot being shown. It's just how they adjust and assess the situation when they cross the rope ... because that's where it's falling down," he said. 

(ANI Inputs) 

 
 

By Ankitjit Singh - 19 Jan, 2022

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