Windies caught between Tests and T20, says Law
london — West Indies coach Stuart Law believes his side’s struggles in ODIs are down to being “caught between Test cricket and T20”.
Law’s men, the reigning World Twenty20 champions, head into the fourth ODI against England at The Oval on Wednesday already 2-0 down in a five-match series, with one no-result.
They’ve now lost 14 of their last 15 completed ODIs against England, with defeat in the series opener at Old Trafford ending their hopes of automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup in Britain.
Instead the 1975 and 1979 World Cup-winners must now come through a qualifying event early next year if they are to secure their place in the 50-over showpiece tournament, having missed out on this season’s Champions Trophy event by not being among the top eight ODI sides in the International Cricket Council rankings.
“We’re not quite playing at the tempo that I think that suits one-day cricket,” Law told reporters at The Oval on Tuesday. “We are caught between Test cricket and T20 cricket — of course we’re very good at T20 cricket and we’re ever-improving in the Test match arena,” added Law, whose side recorded a shock win over England in the second Test at Headingley last month before losing a three-match series 2-1.
“This is the arena we need to make sure we start grabbing hold of and we start understanding, particularly with what we’ve got coming up early next year.”
West Indies suffered a heavy 124-run defeat, with nearly 11 overs to spare, in the fourth ODI at Bristol on Sunday.
Yet they were in the contest early on, with paceman Miguel Cummins taking three wickets, including the prize scalp of Joe Root, before Moeen Ali’s 102, which featured eight sixes, powered England to 369 for nine. —