WI coach Coley wants players to channel famous Gabba win ahead of second Test against England
Jul 16, 2024
Nottingham [UK], July 16 : West Indies coach Andre Coley has called on his players to draw inspiration from their victory against Australia at The Gabba as they aim to level their ongoing series against England.
In their hunt for the first Test victory in England since 1988, the West Indies were demolished in the series opener. Ben Stokes' side made James Anderson's final game memorable by sealing a victory by an innings and 114 runs.
Their start resembles the one they had against Australia in January. In the first Test of the two-match series, Australia outclassed the Caribbean side with a 10-wicket win at Adelaide.
The West Indies responded with a historic 8-run victory at The Gabba, with Shamar Joseph dazzling with the red ball, claiming seven second-innings scalps.
Ahead of the second Test against England at Trent Bridge on Thursday, Coley wants his players to believe they can orchestrate a series decider at Edgbaston.
"They would've taken a lot of positives from that. In terms of how we were able to bounce back, the process that we went through to be able to do that, I believe, is a lot more powerful [than the result]," Coley said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"It reinforces the fact that in a series, you could actually not start well but then compose yourself and come back in the series and be quite competitive, potentially set it up for a game-three decider. So there are real positives to be taken away, not only from the first Test here but what we would've [faced in the] last six months," he added.
Despite suffering a thumping loss in the first Test, Coley believes that there were a lot of positives to take away from the game.
"We admit that the side we have it is young and emerging... but we are still very positive about how we are approaching the second Test. Everybody's in good spirits. We've been catching up with the players one-on-one, and this will really be the first time that we'll be settled as a squad," he said.
"There's been quite a bit of activity on and off the field leading up to the first Test, and it's been a lot, I can imagine, for some of our players to have been able to absorb. So it's a massive learning for everyone, players and staff, and we are still very positive as we head to Nottingham," Coley added.
