In their 0-3 defeat in the Tests in England, West Indies managed to survive just over two days at Lord’s, four at Trent Bridge, and about two and half at Edgbaston.
West Indies survived a little more than two days at Lord’s, four at Trent Bridge, and almost two and a half at Edgbaston during their 0-3 loss in the Test match in England. They had been hopeful of building on their memorable January victory over Australia in Brisbane. West Indies head coach Andre Coley discusses why his players were psychologically “fatigued” and what he has learned from the tour in this interview, which was done the day after the team’s series loss.
Monday, the day we are seated here, would have been the Edgbaston Test’s fourth day. Does the loss hurt you in any way?
When something doesn’t always go as planned, it always hurts. Moreover, what it means to the diaspora of West Indies supporters and to us as a squad. The significance of cricket to West Indians is something you will always remember. Although you are aware of the team’s underperformance, you also experience some disappointment. However, you attempt to find a way to balance this by considering the lessons that could be applied moving forward.
Does 3-0 really represent your team?
Not at all (laughs). We never really got into that match, which is why we lost at Lord’s. We never really got in because both of those innings had low scoring totals. We accomplished most of our goals using the ball. You could see how the batters began to adjust and combined excellent decision-making with a mix of intent from the second Test. Every player began expressing themselves and announcing their abilities to us.
In summary, the entire series was a little emotionally and mentally taxing. That is a result of the attacking style of play and tactics employed by England. But there were times when we managed the run flow, when we applied pressure to their batting and when we applied pressure to their bowling. On many moments, you could tell from England fielders’ body language that they were under duress. However, it was both fascinating and exhausting for [us] to be able to maintain that level of mental concentration and perform at our best for three or four days.
It was a matter of mental exhaustion, simply being able to perform some of the tasks we want for extended periods of time, particularly while under pressure, and then having to respond once again. The most important lesson we might learn is that.
For our players, the three-Test series provided a good stretch of opportunity. Our players are mostly inexperienced compared to other teams when you consider how many first-class or Test matches they have played. Even the quantity of onlookers on the ground piqued their interest. Though he was prepared for the match against [Mark] Wood [at Trent Bridge], I’ll always remember [Mikyle] Louis saying, “Boy, coach, I really had to knock in on that because that’s not something I hear a lot in the Caribbean.”
Was he feeling overpowered?
Not overpowered. He was conscious of it at one time, but he managed to get through it. For him, it was a tremendously potent learning opportunity. He has undoubtedly removed that coping strategy from this series. He managed to think of one or two strategies to get him through. He’s psychologically tough and headed in the right direction.
One of the things I tried to avoid giving the guys was expectations. I just wanted them to understand the importance of the series, without causing them undue stress. It’s important to always keep in mind that representing the West Indies is about more than just cricket; it’s about the difficulties and the essence of what it means to be a West Indian, as well as having the self-assurance to declare yourself capable of competing against the best.
However, Louis must have delighted in hearing his name chanted from the Edgbaston Hollies Stand?
Both here and in Australia, there were sizable crowds. The players would have learned from it that, regardless of the team they were on, the crowd will applaud good cricket anytime we performed well. Some of our guys actually gained some confidence from the crowd as the trip progressed, felt more at ease being on the edge, and so on. And how you handle things off the field is all part of the game. Even by itself, that can be too much at times.
At Lord’s, the final game for James Anderson, a few players seemed overawed. On day two, the West Indies were 79 for 6 in the second innings after scoring just 121 in the first. Jayden Seales, a fast bowler, described it as “frustrating” to see the scoreboard.
I could tell you that we knew what the possible conditions would have been and that we had confidence in ourselves going into the Test. There were a lot of engagements in the week before the Lord’s Test. Given that I am aware that these guys utilize social media, the degree of expectation was also telling. Families from both back home and here are also there, and everyone was anticipating a fierce competition. All in all, the weight of expectation and moving to a new nation may have been too much to handle. It’s possible that some gamers had standards for themselves based on the objectives they had set.
In reality, we barely touched on the Lord’s Test. The bowlers, instead of the [England] batsmen giving up wickets, pretty much tried to hold their own and took several. I concur with Jayden and can understand. Not just for him, but also for me and the other members of the coaching staff, it was discouraging to see the scoreboard since we knew that we would always have a chance if we had posted something nearly on par.
What details will your debrief cover?
What lessons are we taking away from this event will remain my main focus in the upcoming days. Sometimes, self-doubt about your ability to match up [at this level] causes you to feel overwhelmed. Furthermore, we have demonstrated during this series and in several games that we are capable of competing and doing well. We had moments during the match when we could have really challenged England. Going back to those procedures and asking the player, “What was the thinking when we were doing well?” is how I approach it. What were the procedures we followed that genuinely enabled us to carry out those actions? For if you don’t go deeply into those, your approach to things will always be inconsistent.
Thus, the main objective is to pinpoint the moments during the game when the momentum switched in our favor or against us, and then determine what we actually did to cause that to happen or what we did not do that caused us to lose some momentum. after which, apply those items with greater consistency.
Many commentators were taken aback when Kraigg Brathwaite chose to field at Trent Bridge instead of the customary bat-first position. Would you have batted first in retrospect?
No. We have actually chosen to bat more frequently in the last year and a half or so than we did in the prior time frame. According to the statistics, the pitch was usually sluggish on day one and improved for batting as day two progressed. I don’t know if you remember, but in the first thirty to forty minutes, we generated a few opportunities and, on the first morning, we missed a crucial one—[dropping Ollie Pope at 46]. It would have been different if we had not missed maybe four catches behind the wicket.
We had a 41-point lead. Maybe given the way we were batting, that ought to have been more. It was psychologically taxing to field for the entire first day, bat against a strong attack on the second, and then come back the following day; you could see it in certain individuals because they were so focused on performing well.
The batting of Joshua Da Silva, Alick Athanaze, and Kavem Hodge was the lone bright spot for the West Indies at Trent Bridge. It demonstrated that hits will result from marrying intent and intensity.
additionally making lengthy decisions. There are moments when you can get ahead of yourself and think, “It’s only my first time batting, but I want to score 100 runs, but that’s so far away.” However, if you continue to play in the present, ball by ball, and you begin to add 10, 15, 20,… you are 15 balls out of 30. As you continue to wear out the bowlers, they begin to fade in the third or fourth spell, and your confidence begins to rise.
You can set up games by playing with intensity, ball by ball, and sound judgment over an extended length of time. It’s not only in batting however; bowling is similarly affected.
Hodge made deliberate bat strokes throughout his Trent Bridge century and his Edgbaston fifty. Does he have more of an obligation in the middle order now?
Kavem has been urged to carry on with his work by me. I haven’t increased my level of accountability. Each team member has a certain responsibility. You cannot expect others to shoulder your responsibilities. I’ve just advised him to keep doing what he’s doing. He claimed that throughout the tour, he had abandoned his processes one or two times, but that he had since returned to them and was aware of what was going on.
Similar to how Pope caught him in front of point on the opening day of the tour when he was chasing to hack at a delivery wide outside off stump?
Alternatively, Hodge might have struck it with more poise, given that every action carries some degree of risk. Instead of crushing it, perhaps he could have struck it a little bit earlier or later. This would have given him a little more control over where the ball is placed rather than, “Hey, my eyes are lighting up, all this needs to get smashed.”
Hodge and Seales, who emerged as the West Indies’ top bowler and hitter, respectively, talked about their proactive approach to preparation. While Seales stated he played county cricket to prepare for this series, Hodge spoke with former England captain Michael Vaughan about batting in English conditions. These players have a clear desire to advance, succeed in Test cricket, and lead by example in the locker room.
There will always be a draw to white-ball cricket. You return to the original intent. There is off-field intent in addition to on-field intent. I also need to be deliberate about how I set it up, where I go to prepare, how much of this I play, etc., if I want to succeed and have a long career. These discussions revolve around each player’s current situation, what they need, our goals and the best way to get there, as well as what sort of assistance they require to keep moving forward.
Alzarri Joseph, the team’s vice-captain and fast bowler, was one player who was anticipated to make an impact. Joseph is in demand in franchise leagues, but he has made a commitment to Test cricket. Could you elaborate on the insights you have gained from your conversations with him regarding his challenges and how you plan to keep him healthy throughout the arduous upcoming season?
It’s critical to support someone like Alzarri in controlling his effectiveness and playing schedule. He is a multiformat player. He has two different head coaches working with him to strategize how we can proceed. I still talk to Daren [Sammy, the West Indies white-ball coach] about players who play in different formats and we figure out the optimal times for them to take vacations. That is the way we are going to proceed. Although we haven’t arrived yet, we have initiated the process of developing longer-term perspectives on players and things through talks. Players should play, but their health should also be a priority.
Alzarri believes that taking a break from the game to focus on your unique skills is always beneficial because it may be easy to become distracted by traveling from tournament to tournament and end up losing some of your skills. Therefore, it involves scheduling in the appropriate amount of downtime during which he does nothing but also brief intervals during which he is not engaged in competition. He will be able to exert more control over his bowling in this way.
What coaching lessons have you taken away from the tours of England and Australia?
I think pretty independently. I want to stay true to who I am, open to criticism while yet standing by my convictions about what’s best for the side. Being more engaging is something I’ve gotten better at, as opposed to in the past when I was extremely direct and said clearly what I wanted and how we were going to get it. In terms of how we approach it, I’ve gotten better at finding new methods to engage players so that we actually do it together while I stay on top of things.
Prior to the Edgbaston Test, you paid a visit to the Manchester City football team. What was the purpose of that?
I’ve always been someone who seeks out opportunities to improve and learns from the finest in the world about what they do. I’ve always had that curious mind of mine. And ever since I began taking on greater leadership responsibilities, I’ve made it a point to look into choices that support that. Thus, I saw my trip to Man City as a chance for personal growth. I was interested in seeing how another high-performing setting operated from the inside out.
Even before you say a word to anyone, the high-performance facilities, the fields, and the immaculate surroundings just hit you as soon as you enter the gate. Of course, there’s the financial aspect as well, but aside from that, there are the facilities, the gyms, and the various things that support players’ recuperation. While I was interested in learning about optimal practices in an alternative sport, this experience also reinforced my beliefs and way of thinking about team leadership in general.
It’s really part of my annual coach development plan to talk with someone who performs at a very high level—it doesn’t have to be athletic; it can be at a leadership level instead. And after that, pay a visit to a building or location that has a reputation for excellence.
You brought up the notion that the West Indies were in a Catch-22 situation during the post-match press conference following the series defeat. You mentioned that in order to obtain more bilateral series, you must generate outcomes, but doing so requires more matches. Could you elaborate on that?
For people to say, “Oh yeah, they [West Indies] need to play more cricket because we need to see them more, not less,” we too need to contribute on the field. It’s evident that we should play more Test matches. In my opinion, we need to identify opportunities to improve our preparation.
However, I’m pleased with our current situation since it indicates that we are becoming a more physically fit team with younger, stronger bowlers. I want to focus on finding two or three more guys so we have a rotational pack there. That’s where I want to make a difference.
Keep the batting as steady as you can while keeping in mind that, yes, you may lose and may receive a poor score once or twice, but we will persist with you since we need you to pick things up quickly. Even if you play the hitter for one game, it makes no difference. Because he believes he will be eliminated the following time if he doesn’t pass, he never learns and his confidence plummets.
Thus, there has to be a balance struck between defining what a run [of matches] is and holding the batting together for as long as possible. A cycle of the World Test Championship involves just 12 or 13 Test matches. For me, half of it is a run. I’m willing to provide a batsman six Test matches.
What kind of performance do you anticipate from the batter?
They would be aware of their responsibilities and performance standards for the position. However, while going through that, regardless of how well you performed, you also need to gain constancy, willingness to learn, and that consistent intent.
What is the duration of your term?
until June 30 of the next year. My most recent contract was for two years, which is unusual. For most instructors at this level, it takes four years or so to really make an impression. I’ll always be held to a different standard.
Why?
simply due to the characteristics of the individual who has typically occupied my role as head coach. It was either an international cricket player, a former Test cricketer, or a more well-known person who had coached all over the world. Your goal in being here is to achieve outcomes. It is expected of you to deliver outcomes. It’s fascinating that, at this particular point in time, there is also a development component that needs to be considered while continuing to push the athletes in the direction of their performance potential.
You have a home game coming up against South Africa. What do you hope to achieve?
In four series since 1992, we haven’t defeated South Africa in the West Indies in a short while. When we were last in South Africa [in Centurion in 2023], they offered us 251 [247] to chase down in the first Test, and we missed it by 70 runs [88]. That was a great opportunity for us. However, we feel secure in our familiar surroundings at home.