West Indies coach Andre Coley has urged his team to channel the resilience they exhibited at the Gabba against Australia earlier this year as they prepare for the second Test against England.
Following a heavy innings defeat in the first Test at Lord’s, Coley believes his side can draw from their experiences to bounce back in Nottingham. Reflecting on their performance against Australia, where the West Indies rebounded to defeat the reigning World Test Championship winners at the Gabba after a significant loss in the opening Test, Coley sees parallels and potential for his team.
“They would’ve taken a lot of positives from that (Gabba Test),” Coley said. “In terms of how we were able to bounce back, the process that we went through to be able to do that I believe is a lot more powerful (than winning).” Coley emphasized the importance of composure and resilience in a series, noting that a poor start does not preclude a competitive finish. “It reinforces the fact that in a series you could actually not start well but then compose yourself and come back in the series and be quite competitive, potentially set it up for a game-three decider,” he added. “So there are real positives to be taken away, not only from the first Test here, but what we would’ve (faced in the) last six months.”
The Caribbean side struggled in the opening Test, succumbing to a loss by an innings and 114 runs at Lord’s, which also served as a farewell for England’s legendary seamer James Anderson. As the three-match series shifts to Trent Bridge, Coley stressed the need for improved performance, particularly in the field. “I would love to see us with a lot more intensity that we’re known to show in the field,” he stated. “I thought in this (Lord’s) Test match, we weren’t at our best in terms of imposing ourselves on the England batters. That is definitely something that we need to be better at for the next Test.”
Currently sixth in the World Test Championship standings, the West Indies require positive results in the remaining two matches in England to remain competitive. Despite the setback in London, Coley maintains that team morale is high, and he expects better adaptation to English conditions moving forward.
“Having been here now about two weeks, having a bit of time to acclimatise to conditions and actually getting time in the middleâ€æ yes, the result was not what we would’ve wanted and planned for, but I do believe that there’s a lot to be had in terms of learning and takeaways,” he said.
Coley acknowledged the youth and emerging talent within the squad but remained optimistic about their approach to the second Test. “Everybody’s in good spirits. We’ve been catching up with the players one-on-one and this will really be the first time that we’ll be settled as a squad,” he noted.
As the team heads to Nottingham, Coley is confident that the experiences and lessons learned will serve them well in the upcoming match. “There’s been quite a bit of activity on and off the field leading up to the first Test and it’s been a lot, I can imagine, for some of our players to have been able to absorb. So it’s a massive learning for everyone, players and staff, and we are still very positive as we head to Nottingham.”