BRIDGETOWN, CANA:
WEST Indies' cricket coach, Roger Harper, has criticised the inept state of the team's batting after their 269-run defeat by Somerset at Taunton on Saturday, according to a report in the Barbados Advocate yesterday.
The report said that in an interview with StarCom Sports, Harper stated that he was disappointed by the team's performance and even though there were some injuries in the team, it was no excuse for the way the team batted on a good batting pitch.
"Somerset scored heavily against us but in a way we were restricted in our bowling attack. We were restricted in the sense that we had a few injuiries," Harper was reported to have said, pointing to injuries to fast bowlers Reon King and Corey Collymore.
"But we just did not show the great sense of application and determination to go out there and get a big score. I don't think in any way the attack was that good. They bowled well so I don't take anything away from them, but we did not apply ourselves as we needed to, the coach said.
The West Indies are in danger of losing a Test series to England for the first time in 31 years, trailing 1-2 in the series going into the fifth Test at the Oval starting on Thursday.
The regional team won the opening Test convincingly, but lost the second at Lords and the fourth at Headingly. On the two occasions they were defeated, they were bowled out cheaply, falling for 54 in the second innings at Lords and 61 in the second innings at Headingly.
West Indies' batting woes were repeated at Taunton as they were dismissed by Somerset on Saturday for 169 in the second innings after being 124 for two. The regional team scored 290 in the first innings, spearheaded by an even 100 from spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo.
Harper lauded Nagamootoo and Adrian Griffith, both of whom batted well in the loss to Somerset. Griffith was the topscorer in the second innings with 77.
The coach said: "Nagamoo-too's hundred was one of the positives that came out of the match. He batted very, very well. It was his first first-class century and I must say well done to him.
"We were hoping that his century would have opened up some of the batsmen's eyes and spurred them to a better performance in the second innings, but that didn't actually happen."
Harper added:" Adrian Griffith applied himself, made 70-odd and then got out, but he batted very well and got out to a good delivery."
