Table of Contents

Phil Simmons, West Indies head coach has called for an “even surface” in the second Test match in Barbados after the first one in Antigua returned a draw.

After Joe Root and Zak Crawley hit centuries in the third innings, the hosts were able to bat out 70.1 overs in the fourth before the captains shook hands.

Zak Crawley made his second Test hundred AFP/Getty Images

Phil Simmons Hopes For A Better Even Surface Wicket In Next Test Against England

Phil Simmons, West Indies’ head coach, says that he wasn’t nervous as his side successfully batted out 70.1 overs to force a draw on the final day’s play in Antigua.

“I’m hoping for a little more in the wicket (in the next Test) as it’ll make for a better Test match,” Simmons said after the match. “I used to be a batter but you can’t let batters have it easy all the time and it’s hard for bowlers on wickets like these. You need an even surface and let’s compete.”

“The wicket has been flat so once you get your head down it’s difficult to get wickets on that, so I wasn’t that nervous.”

Phil Simmons took some positives out from the Test, given how his batters didn’t crumble under the pressure of fourth innings.

“It’s good, we ended up being put under pressure because they have given themselves a chance with 70 odd overs to bowl against us and that’s how you want to finish a Test match looking to win,” Simmons said. “They have come here to play a hard-fought series and shown that they’re not going to lie down. So it’s good to see the fight from them and the other two matches are going to be just as hard.”

Phil Simmons praised man of the match Nkrumah Bonner, who scored a fantastic 123 in the first innings and was instrumental in securing the draw with an unbeaten on 38 from 138 balls second-time around.

Phil Simmons Praised Nkrumah Bonner

Phil Simmons had high words of praise for Nkrumah Bonner who after his century earlier in the match came back with a stoic innings of 38* off 138 balls that along with Jason Holder helped West Indies hold fort.

“He started doing it for us against Bangladesh,” Simmons said of Bonner. “When he came and played Sri Lanka he did the same thing. So we’ve seen that with him and it’s getting more and more consistent, so that’s brilliant for us.”

Nkrumah Bonner and Jason Holder drew the sting of England’s depleted attack in a tense final session of the first Test in Antigua, as their 80-run partnership, spanning 34.4 resolute overs, thwarted a well-judged declaration from Joe Root that briefly looked set to deliver an unlikely victory in a previously bat-dominated contest.

After Joe Root himself had become England’s third centurion of the match after Jonny Bairstow in the 1st innings and Zak Crawley in the 2nd innings, West Indies were left needing a stiff but tantalizing target of 286 in a minimum of 71 overs, against an attack lacking the services of injured Mark Wood, the man whose habitual 90mph pace might have been expected to unlock an unforgiving surface. Mark Wood had to leave the field midway on Day 3 of the first Test against West Indies. Mark Wood didn’t come out to bowl in the second innings and is doubtful for the next two Tests. West Indies 375 (Bonner 123, Brathwaite 55) and 147 for 4 (Bonner 38*, Holder 37*) drew with England 311 (Bairstow 140, Seales 4-79) and 349 for 6 dec (Crawley 121, Root 109)