Having lost the series opener by a big margin, the West Indies will need to put up a better fight in the second Test at Galle to draw the series against Sri Lanka. Captain Kraigg Braithwaite has asked his batters to defend for a long period and be clear whether they want to go forward or on the backfoot.
The second Test at Galle is likely to be more spin-friendly than the first one and it will pose another huge challenge for the Windies batters. The think-tank and captain have had lengthy discussions and have come up with a plan.
“We had a lot of discussions. One important thing is that you’ve got to defend a lot of balls. Having a straight bat is one thing we discussed. And sweeping as well – especially the offspinner. It’s just about being clear and confident about whether you’re playing forward or back,”
Braithwaite said.
The visitors were hammered in the first Test by 187 runs, with batters failing to do well. They were bowled out for 230 in the first innings, where four players crossed 35 runs, but none of them went on to play a substantial knock. In their second innings, they were even worse, getting rolled over for 160.
Nkrumah Bonner and Joshua da Silva were the only players to score fifties from the Windies side. They scored 68 and 54, respectively and added a 100-run partnership for the seventh wicket after the team was reduced to 18 for six. Braithwaite said the rest of the batting unit needs to take inspiration from the duo.
“Bonner and Josh showed that when you have a solid defence, if you put the effort and energy in, you’ll be successful. Just trust that defence. When the bad balls come you get runs. It’s important to have that clarity,”
he added.
West Indies have had a mixed bag of a year, beginning with a monumental 2-0 series victory in Bangladesh. They drew two Tests at home against Sri Lanka followed by a 2-0 loss at home against South Africa. The Windies then drew the series 1-1 against Pakistan at home. Braithwaite concluded by reiterating the importance of winning this second Test at Galle.
