Coach Miller wants more from Scorpions batsmen
Jamaica Scorpions Assistant Coach Nikita Miller says the team’s struggles at the start of the regional four-day championship is borne from the batting group’s failure to follow the plans laid out by the technical staff.
Jamaica are last in the six-team standings with points after the battling draw against Leeward Islands Hurricanes and the disappointing six-wicket loss to reigning champions Barbados Pride.
With the third round of matches scheduled to start March 15, the Scorpions have 10 points. They have another three rounds to make up ground if they are to win their first four-day crown since the 2011-12 regional cricket season.
Guyana Harpy Eagles lead with 28.6 points, ahead of the Pride (23), Trinidad & Tobago Red Force (20.6), Windward Islands Volcanoes (19.4) and the Hurricanes (17.4).
“It seems like a lack of application. From the concentration part, it seemed that way as well. We just didn’t apply ourselves in the middle, didn’t look to spend time in the middle and that was our downfall,” Miller told the Jamaica Observer after the match against the Pride.
“We didn’t bat as well as we should have. We had a long, extensive team meeting outlining how we should approach our innings. And even in the first game I don’t think we carried out instructions the way we expected as a coaching group.”
He added all-rounder Abhijai Mansingh, who made his first-class debut against the Hurricanes, was one of the few bright sparks with the bat.
“We sat down with each of our batters, especially the frontline batters, and explained how each bowler would approach and bowl and stuff like that. But they went in the middle — Mansingh was really good in terms of looking to spend time — most of the other frontline batters didn’t look to spend time in the middle, and so we fell down in that department.
Miller said the bowling unit put in a solid effort.
“In terms of the bowlers I’m happy with the effort of the bowlers. In all the games we didn’t give up any batting points, so that’s a good job from that bowling group. Yes, we would have liked a little bit more pace bowling points but we didn’t pick up as much as we wanted, but the slow bowlers did their job,” he explained.
–Sanjay Myers