Body talk gives Windies away

“OH boy!,” West Indies’ coach Phil Simmons said yesterday when asked if his side’s muchcriticised body language was a concern.

The tourists’ attitude in the field looked casual at best in Hobart where the Windies lost the first Test by an innings and 212 runs on December 12.

“Looking from outside it is a fair criticism,” Simmons said.

“Of course it’s going to hurt. If it doesn’t hurt then something’s wrong.

“I know all the criticism we received before coming here has hurt.”

Leg-spin great Shane Warne has led calls for the Windies to lift their game for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and show some more intensity, rather than looking disinterested.

Simmons says bowling coach and pace great Curtly Ambrose has been drilling that concept into his side.

“Oh boy. We keep doing that every day,” Simmons said.

“Your body language always tells something to the other team. It’s something that especially Mr Ambrose tries to preach to them. “It’s part of the game. “All I can hope is it pushes them as much as it pushes me to push them to do the work and pushes them to do well on the field.”

Any rev-ups from the coaching staff after leaving Hobart failed to make an impression on fast bowler Jerome Taylor, who plunged the Windies’ public image to another low point during last weekend’s two-day match in Geelong against a Victorian Invitational XI.

Taylor missed a catching opportunity at fine leg because he was leaning on the fence facing the crowd at the time.

“We did have a word with Jerome,” Simmons said.

“Some things you have a word and then you leave it.”

Australia’s vice-captain David Warner said yesterday it was obvious to the home side that the Windies’ spirits were broken in Hobart.

“It did look like they did go through the motions when they were batting on that day when we batted big,” he said.

“That’s generally what happens with some oppositions. You know how to take it to them.”