World News – USA – WTC « extremely significant » to West Indies, says Phil Simmons

Head coach Phil Simmons described the World Test Championship (WTC) as « extremely important » for the West Indies in the run-up to the first game against New Zealand at Seddon Park. West Indies currently occupy third place in the WTC standings with a single win from five games. In their last series of tests in England they lost 2-1 after winning the series opening game in Southampton.

« It’s extremely important, » Simmons said of the WTC. « I think it’s a format we haven’t done well for in a long time and we try to get back to the top of the table when it comes to test cricket and that’s why we want that first do the test championship, but at the same time we want to be winners in test cricket ourselves. This is important to us. « 

Simmons reckoned that the 2-0 defeat in the T20I series, which ended on Monday, would not affect the preparation and performance of the team in the upcoming test series. Test team members had two training sessions against New Zealand A in Queenstown last month.

While Darren Bravo made a century in the first tour game, it was Kraigg Brathwaite who led the crowd in the second with a career best 246, spending more than nine hours in the middle. Bravo dropped seven out of another hundred in the second game. West Indies Test captain Jason Holder also came out of quarantine, scoring 24 points, getting 1 for 45.

« The T20s and tests are different, » said Simmons. « The test team did well in Queenstown, playing a tough four-day game. Now they come into the test series with some confidence, especially the batsmen who haven’t had this in a while. « . I think the test team is in a good place. Disappointed with the T20s, but now with the test series.

« I think it was good that we had to do 14 days [quarantine] that we practiced and then we had a three day game and a four day game. Some of the young players who haven’t been here have gotten used to the test cricket conditions here which I think will be similar from our location here. I think they will offer a lot of mental strength once they go through the time we went through there. We will try very hard to get them to match the score they got in the last four day game. « 

So what are the West Indies trying to get out of the test series against New Zealand, which are impressive in their home conditions?

« Your goal is always to get good results, » said Simmons. Their goal is always to win cricket games, and I think that’s our goal in both the A-Team and CWI XI games and test matches. Our goal is to play cricket so we can win every game. « 

West Indies Cricket Team, New Zealand National Cricket Team, Test Cricket, Phil Simmons, England Cricket Team, Australian Men’s Cricket Team