Sports Law’s warning by Barbados Today 16/01/2019 written by Barbados Today 16/01/2019 4 min read A+A- Reset Share FacebookTwitterLinkedinWhatsappEmail 228 Just days before West Indies take on England in the first Test at Kensington Oval the team’s former coach Stuart Law has sounded a warning to the visitors. Though conceding that England would be “red-hot favourites” going into next week’s first Test, Law said his former charges were fully capable of springing another surprise, just as they produced at Headingley two years ago in one of the most sensational run-chases in West Indies’ history. Law, who oversaw West Indies’ Test fortunes during a two-year spell in the Caribbean, stepped down from his role in September to take up the vacancy as Middlesex’s head coach. While being realistic about West Indies’ hopes of resisting an England team that secured an impressive 3-0 win in Sri Lanka before Christmas, Law was adamant that the players he left behind had sufficient skill, experience and determination to rise to their latest challenge. “Don’t underestimate the home team,” Law said. “There’s a core group of senior players who’ve been there for a while and proved that they can do it. If England aren’t on their game, West Indies have the team to make an upset. “England are going in as red-hot favourites but as the underdogs, West Indies have nothing to lose. They aren’t supposed to win, and the Caribbean crowd will tell them they are not supposed to win, and they like proving people wrong as well,” he said today at his Middlesex unveiling. You Might Be Interested In Pybus returns Holder is number two Ferdinand on the mend Despite being the stronger team on paper for the best part of two decades, England’s recent record against West Indies leaves plenty to be desired, not least in the Caribbean, where they have not won a series since 2004 and where they lost their most recent Test – coincidentally in Barbados – back in 2015. However, for sheer chutzpah, few results in recent times compare with West Indies’ incredible Headingley upset on the 2017 tour, when Shai Hope – with two hundreds in the match – and Kraigg Brathwaite – with 134 and 95 – helped square the series with one to play after a daunting run-chase of 322. “I think the euphoria of that first Test win in England in 17 years was something that is still being celebrated in the Caribbean,” Law said. “They don’t need much to have a party out there. “Some of the kids who stuck their hand up in that match are still involved now… Hope, Brathwaite, Jason Holder, Shannon Gabriel, those guys played their hearts out. Gabriel bowled fast every time he bowled the ball, and the two batters had a dream Test match. “They can do it, that’s the thing. It comes down to self-belief. If they’ve got self-belief they can achieve anything.” West Indies’ hopes in the coming series have been boosted by the recall of Darren Bravo, a proven Test-match batsman who played a crucial hand in that Barbados win in 2015. He had been unavailable for most of Law’s spell in the Caribbean after becoming embroiled in the stand-off with CWI over player availability for T20 leagues. However, his return to the fray, said Law, was a sign of progress. “I think there’s been massive improvements,” he said. “Johnny Grave, the CEO, and Jimmy Adams, the director of cricket, have made massive strides to raise the professionalism. “But you can’t rush these disputes. I didn’t really understand the depths, but at times you have to side with the players. I had brief conversations with Darren and he made some very good points. “He’s a high-class player, West Indies could do with his experience, and you’d like to see commitment from other players as well. But the T20 riches are big, and the West Indies boys are high in demand, so you can’t blame them, even if playing for West Indies is a shop window for these tournaments. “I didn’t blame one player once for choosing T20 cricket over Test cricket. Sure, I was disappointed, as I’d have loved to have them playing for West Indies, but they had other issues to keep to, and supporting their families was one of them.” In fact, supporting his own family was Law’s primary reason for calling an early end to his time with West Indies, and instead seeking out the security that comes with a four-year deal at Middlesex. Barbados Today Stay informed and engaged with our digital news platform. The leading online multimedia news resource in Barbados for news you can trust. You may also like Six more qualify for CARIFTA 18/02/2025 Strikers win to set up showdown with Blazers 18/02/2025 Hurley, Bulls silence Cavs 18/02/2025