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Head coach Phil Simmons says the West Indies will use two official warm-up matches to complete their plans for the key qualifying stage of the 2020 World Cup.
Today (8pm T&T yesterday) the Caribbean side’s minnows United Arab Emirates are here at the Junction Oval before taking on the Netherlands at the Melbourne Cricket Ground at 7pm (4am T&T) on Wednesday.
“The two warm-ups are about getting things to work together, to get our plans in place, to make sure the players are getting sharper as they go,” Simmons said.
He added: “The atmosphere in the camp was very good. We played two games … we lost two games, but at the same time some of the things we were trying to implement were starting to fall into place and the atmosphere in training camp was very good. “
West Indies thumped world champions Australia in a two-match series last week, losing three wickets on the Gold Coast and 31 in Brisbane.
After similar results in the Caribbean with New Zealand and India, they have lost a third in a row and they have now won just two of their last 10 T20 internationals.
It’s not the first time the West Indies batsmen have undergone rigorous testing and been found to be lacking, but Simmons said work on that is underway. “The batsmen understand what we need to add to get where we want to be and they’ve been working hard,” he explained.
“We’ve had a good networking session with everyone and everyone is looking forward to going to practice sessions, getting in the middle and doing what’s necessary for the team. So far all the players have been enthusiastic and excited, so it’s great to see. “
After the warm-up, the West Indies will face Scotland, Ireland and Zimbabwe in a tricky qualifying match in Group B, with the top two teams from Groups A and B advancing to the main draw.
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