Reifer challenges Windies batters ahead of decisive New Zealand Test

West Indies assistant coach Floyd Reifer has issued a blunt assessment of his batting unit ahead of the decisive third and final Test against New Zealand, starting here Wednesday at Bay Oval.

Trailing 1-0 in the series after a heavy defeat in Wellington, the tourists face a final push for redemption, but must do so without opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul, who is still ruled out with a side strain.

The Windies’ preparation has been further disrupted with the departure of Performance Analyst Avenesh Seetaram, who has returned home for a personal family matter.

The core of Reifer’s message, however, centers on a frustrating and recurring theme of the tour: the inability to convert starts into match-defining scores.

“We’ve spoken about this, and this is something we want to improve on,” Reifer stated. “When we’re in control of the situation, to stay in control for longer periods of time. In Test cricket, batting is doing great things for long periods.”

The statistics bear out his concern. Apart from Justin Greaves’ double hundred and Shai Hope’s century in the first Test, the West Indies’ batting unit, on some occasions, has gotten a look in only to give it away after all the hard work.

For Reifer, the constant work in this area has still not borne much fruit, and he is hoping that the batters collectively can come good this time around, to prove that his and the coaching staff’s effort is not going to waste.

“We had a lot of starts, but unfortunately, none of those starts converted into hundreds,” Reifer admitted.

His prescription for the ailment is simple in theory, yet demanding in execution. He recommends disciplined application for extended sessions, which he believes is the formula for success.

“We believe that once you bat four hours plus in a Test match, you guarantee a hundred. “It’s just about going through the different phases, understanding the situation, and just looking to continue to do what you were doing for long periods of time. That’s how we will get over this period of getting started and not continuing.”

The conditions at Mount Maunganui, typical of New Zealand, will test this newfound resolve to its limit. Reifer acknowledged the green-tinged pitch and the potent threat of the new ball.

“The first two days, it’s good for bowling. The ball will nip around a lot here, but this is where we need to dial in and be focused the most.”

His advice to the batters was a call for tempered aggression and heightened responsibility. “There are certain shots you can and cannot play early in New Zealand with the new ball. So just staying disciplined and for players to take more responsibility in terms of how they go about their innings.”

(CMC)