BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Former West Indies all-rounder Ian Bradshaw has warned the Caribbean side that his batting must be more clinical if they are to defend their Twenty20 World Cup title in India later this year.
The 46-year-old said that while the West Indies defeated Sri Lanka 2-1 in the recently concluded series in Antigua, the home team lacked conviction in their batting and were also guilty of playing stroke irresponsible pressure on the pubs.
Bradshaw also urged West Indies managers to be “brutally honest” with the squad to raise the level of performances.
“I am disappointed with the manner of our wins,” said Bradshaw, who appeared in five Tests and 62 One-Day Internationals.
“Yes, we won but the result could easily have been 3-0 for Sri Lanka and as we build towards the World Cup, our performances will have to be much more clinical.
“Like so many series with West Indies cricket, we go into it and believe that our bowling is the weak link of the two and when it comes out, it is our batting that is battling and this has been true in the all three formats. ”
He continued: “If you look at Test cricket, whenever we have scored 500 runs over two innings, we have won and history will show that. When we get over 300 runs in a one-day International Day, we’re very competitive.
“But quite often it is our batting that has disappointed us and the batting in the T20 series showed some irresponsibility. The shots played gave us [under] undue pressure when we didn’t need to and if we’re going to move forward in a year at the World Cup, we have to have some honest words in camp.
“I’m sure coach (Phil) Simmons and maybe the chief selector (Roger) Harper will have to be brutally honest with the lads. Experienced or inexperienced, when you reach this level, your matching awareness must be much better. “
West Indies produced a chaotic run-on hunt to overhaul 132 and win the first game of four wickets before crumbling at 117 while trying 161 to miss the second of 43 runs.
The third was another nervous encounter, with the West Indies closing a modest target of 132 to win by three wickets with an offense to spare.
In all three games, the West Indies batsmen appeared lost to Sri Lankan spinners and none managed a half-century in the series or finished with a total of more than 100 runs.
Lendl Simmons hit the score with 73 runs while his opening partner Evin Lewis finished with 55 runs and Nicholas Pooran, left wing, 31 runs.
Veteran Chris Gayle, who was recalled after a two-year break, scratched 29 runs from three flyovers.
“We have to put this into perspective. In T20 cricket, you might say that a fella scores 60 runs in a series but depending on the position he is playing in, the importance of those 60 runs could be [critical], ”Bradshaw told Starcom Radio’s Mason and Guest cricket show.
“What I’m concerned about is the method of our redundancies. We showed a clear weakness and uncertainty to the nightjar. At times in West Indies cricket, we have struggled with spinners at different times but here’s how together as a unit we bat the spin. ”
Warning that there was no hiding place in the international arena, Bradshaw said it was important that the West Indies batsmen also eradicated their weaknesses against the faster bowlers.
“A little more worrying for me is a bias against the aggressive regulator [where] we show a little hesitation, ”said Bradshaw, the hero of the dramatic conquest of the 2004 Windies Champions Trophy in England.
“I think a lot of international teams would have raised that and you see quite often that when teams need a wicket, they turn back to their regulator, maybe just one over for a wicket pick, and it n we need to be smart enough in those situations to counteract that plan. “You can’t hide in international cricket, there’s nowhere to hide. Too much video, too much analysis. We have to raise a man, we have to take some responsibility if we’re going to put some runs on the table and defend the world championship with pride. ”