Four Test matches
in just over a month. Two Tests won and one lost. One series won and one drawn. At the end of it, West Indies remain at the bottom of the WTC 2025-27 table. Daren Sammy, however, couldn’t be prouder of his team, especially the improvement shown by the batters in the last two series, against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
“Batting more [made me proud]. We were averaging, I think, about 60-something overs in the first innings of a Test match. One of our goals was to either score quicker or bat longer to give ourselves a chance in the game. And 90 overs was one of the KPIs, for us being able to bat out 90 overs first, you know, to move the average from 60 to at least a second new ball,” Sammy said, speaking to reporters after
the second Test against Pakistan in Port of Spain, which West Indies lost.
“We’ve been able to do that. We faced two new balls, I think,
every time in the first innings in the last five Test matches. You know, that’s an achievement for us.”
West Indies have had
five centuries – including a best of 233 from Amir Jangoo – in the last five Tests they have played, and have topped 300 in the first innings in each of those five occasions, the 626 for 9 declared in the first Test against Sri Lanka comfortably the best of the lot.
“The 300 first-inning score was something that was big on our agenda,” Sammy said. “I think we were averaging probably just over 200 in the first innings. We got 600, we got 499, you know, we got 311 on a very challenging pitch at Brian Lara Stadium, which proved enough in the Test match victory.
“And it’s all the credit of the batsmen: the work [WI batting coach] Floyd Reifer continues to put in them and they [are] responding and being dedicated to the work. And one of the things I mentioned, you know, in the dressing room is small, small steps. Yes, it may seem very little. I mentioned somebody like Brandon King, you know, the work he’s been putting in with Floyd, working on his trigger [movement] and hitting the ball under his eyes. [Tagenarine] Chanderpaul batting with a little bit more intent. You know, all these little things that, you know, we put in and Floyd puts it in the batsmen and they [are] buying into it. That was just a little part.
“Guys like, like Justin [Greaves] and Shai Hope and even the captain, Roston Chase; contributions from Kavem Hodge, John Campbell, the batsmen have come in and we’ve gotten hundreds from different people in different games. So hitting those KPIs with the bowling unit that we know could get 20 wickets, I think that puts us in place to compete at Test cricket. And that is something that we’re working on. We’ve been working really hard to not only compete, but get victories.”
It has been a bit of an upturn for West Indies in the format. This WTC cycle has gotten away from them, but there are signs that they could be more competitive in the future.
“We all understood the challenges we would have faced in the first three Test series [
Australia, India and New Zealand] of the Test Championship and looking forward back then to Sri Lanka and Pakistan series, we always thought the exposure, the games played together with the guys selected, should have been some improvement,” Sammy said. “We trust the process, we had an excellent series against Sri Lanka with both bat and ball, achieved some milestones that we had not achieved in a long time.
“Against Pakistan, we drew the series, but the look on everyone’s faces was a bit of disappointment, knowing that what we should have done. But again, inside the group we understand what success means for the Test group and I really want to commend all the players and the staff for trusting in the process, understanding what success meant for us as a group and not listen to the noise on the outside.
“I’m really proud of the men over the home summer in Test cricket, but all in all, some of the things that we achieved at home [were satisfying].We definitely have to work on our second innings total a little bit but because of our consistent first innings totals, it put us in positions to win games. And we keep getting 20 wickets in the Test match, something I’m proud of.”
West Indies’ Test side will have an opportunity to build on their progress later this year in the subcontinent, when they travel to Bangladesh to play two matches. They have enjoyed success against that opposition in the past, winning
six of their last eight series. However, Bangladesh drew the last series the two of them played in 2024, and beat Pakistan 2-0 three months ago.
Sammy is aware the series will be a challenge, but also an opportunity. “I’m looking forward to finish up the year in Bangladesh with that Test team and giving other guys opportunities as well. If we could go to Bangladesh and win that series, you know, that would be [the] icing on the cake. And what I said earlier is understanding what success means for the team. I’m one who never hung my hat higher than my head. We explained to the guys what the goals are. It’s key for us in the dressing room to understand what we’re trying to achieve and how we’re going to go about doing that.
“When we looked at the first three Test matches, looking at the opposition with what we were starting. We brought some new blood into the game, trying a new strategy in Test cricket. “I never said it was going to work instantly, but we did speak about giving the guys some time and some grace.”
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