Series decider

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada – A minimum 100-run partnership between opening batsmen and early wickets are what head coach Phil Simmons believes will give West Indies a fighting chance to win the crucial third and final Test against England starting on Thursday.

With the first two matches of the series ending in draws, the two sides will be battling at the Grenada National Stadium to lift the newly-minted Richards-Botham Trophy in the Apex Test series. Simmons said both batsmen and bowlers will need to play key roles with the series on the line.

“In the first Test match we got a couple of good starts from the opening pair and I would like to see another couple of good starts, or one good start leading to a 100-150-run partnership. I think that it’s important for us as a team to be able to start getting those sorts of starts and giving the batsmen a little leeway to play with going down the order,” he said at a press conference today.

“The second thing I would love is for us to be able to get early wickets like we did in the first match in Antigua…. If we can do that and stick to our discipline then we can maybe get England out for a small score and then work from there.”

In a separate interview, West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite, who has been an inspiration in the series with a monumental performance on home soil in Barbados – scores of 160 and 56 not out as he batted a marathon 16 hours and faced a whopping 673 balls – said he was confident in his squad’s ability to clinch the series.

“It all comes down to this last match here in Grenada and we are ready. We have worked very hard in the series so far and we want to end on a high. This is the decider, and we believe we have the quality in the team to win. From the start, we said we would like to win the Richards-Botham trophy and celebrate with our fans, so here is the chance to do it. It won’t be easy. England have also been playing some good cricket so this promises to be a great finale,” he said.

Responding to questions about the low scoring rate in the preceding matches at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium and Kensington Oval, Simmons said once the pitch here allowed and the situation dictated it was time to lift the scoring rate, the batsmen would work to suit.

“I think it’s a case that the situation would dictate how we up the tempo,” he said, adding that the pitch at the National Stadium looks “like a good cricket wicket”.

West Indies are going into the series decider with an unchanged squad. Simmons said he agreed with the selectors’ decision to stick with the same team for the entire tour.

“I think the squad has done well and when you do that you kind of give them the confidence to go out there and keep doing what you’ve been doing. A couple guys haven’t gotten off, which doesn’t take away from how good the squad has done so far, so it is good to keep the same squad,” he said, although not disclosing whether the final 11 would also be unchanged.

In the only change to the England lineup as the visitors chase their first Test win in nine attempts, Craig Overton, who missed the second Test at Kensington Oval because of illness, replaces Matthew Fisher.

Seamer Ollie Robinson who had been expected to play a key role in the squad after senior bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad were omitted, has been ruled out after failing to recover from a back injury, which means he has made no appearances in this tour.

Thursday’s match bowls off at 10 a.m. Eastern Caribbean Time/9 a.m. Jamaica Time.

Brathwaite has called on the fans to come out and show their support for the home team.

“We want to urge the Grenadian fans to come out in their numbers and support us from start to finish. I played here few years ago and got a hundred, so the ground has great memories for me. We hope to have some more great moments this week,” he said. (CMC)