Windies captain hopes for a long-term coach

NEW DELHI: West Indies are about to lose their head coach Stuart Law at the end of the year. Before that, in 2016, they lost Phil Simmons. And before that, in 2014, they lost Ottis Gibson. Captain Jason Holder praised his team-mates for keeping up with such a churn but hoped the next coach will be able to stick around longer.

“It’s difficult. We have had a number of coaches in the last five years. And I must commend the guys because they have really been professional to be able to adjust to each and every coach that we’ve had.

“A lot of people don’t understand what goes on behind the scenes. And that’s pretty much an example of the things the players have had to deal with.

“Credit must go to the individuals in the group because despite who coaches the team, we are still judged on the cricket that we play. But all this has a part to do with the cricket that we produce.

“That’s why I don’t get too caught up with people saying what they say, because within, I know what really goes on within the dynamics of the team.

“It’s not an excuse or looking for things to ease pressure, but at the end of the day you deal with reality.

“Anybody would say that the only way to get results as a team is by coming close together.

“But if the dynamics of the team changes quite a bit, it’s hard to build something.

“Every time it seems as though you’re building something, there’s almost a barrier, some kind of obstacle.

“But that’s life. I think Stuart has brought a different dynamic in terms of professionalism. He’s obviously tried to implement certain structures and certain methods, which we needed to change, and credit really must go to Stuart Law for that.

“Hopefully, whoever comes in, we could just settle on a coach for a little while longer and build something positive for the next couple of years.”

West Indies’ performance in the first Test against India in Rajkot — they lost all 20 wickets in four sessions — drew a lot of flak, with cricket pundits and former players suggesting on social media that they weren’t good enough to play Test cricket.

Holder had come across some of these unflattering comments, but he brushed them aside with grace, dignity and some decent statistics too.