Windies bowling coach, Roddy Estwick, is of the belief that Windies’ quicks will be the key to helping the Caribbean side compete in their two-Test series against New Zealand next month.
According to Eswick, while the Windies benefitted from their spin attack in Zimbabwe, in New Zealand the conditions will be different.
“Here in New Zealand the ball bounces a lot more and carries through a lot more to the keeper, so you expect your fast bowlers to really do the bulk of the bowling,” said Estwick.
At the Bert Sutcliffe Oval where the Windies had a warm up against a New Zealand A side, the pacers showed some good form in a first innings where the hosts were bowled out for 231.
Things did not look so rosy in the second innings as New Zealand openers, Tom Latham and Jeet Raval batted for more than 60 overs on the final of a three-day match.
Estwick though, has preferred to look at the performances of the fast bowlers in recent history to get a glimpse into what to expect.
“The fast bowlers have gone well for the last year. During that time you would realise we’ve won a Test match in every series so the fast bowlers have been doing a decent job,” he said.
According to Estwick, after some good performances, the key is to get some consistency from the pacers.
“What we have to try and do now is look to do even better in this series, so the fast bowlers are going to be very, very important. The thing about it is to get some miles in their legs, make sure they’re up and ready to go at New Zealand from ball one.”
The Windies open their account against New Zealand on December 1 at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. (Sportsmax)
