Windies look to pull one back

Windies have been undone by 18 year old Pakistan leg-spinner Shadab Khan in the first T20 and again succumbed to the wily “leggie” in the second. Khan has seven wickets for just 21 runs in eight overs so far in the series while picking up back-to-back Man-of-theMatch honours.

Windies coach Stuart Law refused to concede that Khan has the upp-erhand over his batsmen, noting that the regional batsman have gifted away their wickets.

The performances of several members of the team have come under the spotlight, with the likes of Kieron Pollard, Lendl Simmons and Evin Lewis all getting single digit scores in both games.

Big-hitting all-rounder Rovman Powell, who made his debut in Barbados, has suffered the ignominy of two first-ball ‘ducks’ but Law said the Jamaican should be given the opportunity to learn from his mistakes.

“It’s a difficult game, international cricket. It’s a different mentality, a different pressure out in the middle,” Law explained.

“He’s a young man, he’s got a lot of talent but things take time.

Unfortunately we really want kids to come in, play their first game, make a hundred and take five-for.

It doesn’t always happen.

“Good things come to those who wait and if we keep working hard with Rov I’m sure he’s got the talent to get through.” Law, presiding over just his second series after taking up the post last month, said there was enough blame to go around in the batting department.

“We can’t just pin it on one person.

There are a lot of guys in that team we need to have chat to but we’re working hard,” he stressed.

FULL SQUAD: Carlos Brathwaite (captain), Samuel Badree, Jason Holder, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammed, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Rovman Powell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Jerome Taylor, Chadwick Walton, Kesrick Williams.