Opportunities must be taken at international level – Deitz

West Indies Women’s Head Coach Shane Deitz rued a costly batting collapse after his side slipped to a four-wicket defeat against Zimbabwe in the second One-Day International at Harare Sports Club on Sunday.

West Indies, who had produced a commanding performance in the opening ODI, were bowled out for just 139, with Zimbabwe chasing down the modest target with 55 balls remaining to level the three-match series at 1-1.
Deitz admitted that the West Indies fell well short of what he believed was a competitive total, pointing to a middle-order collapse and a lack of discipline against a determined Zimbabwe bowling attack.
“I don’t think the wicket was quite as good as the other days, but, you know, it should have been 230… 250 was definitely achievable, and obviously we had a big collapse in the middle there, which left us well short where we should have been,” Deitz said in a post- match engagement.
The Head coach credited Zimbabwe’s bowlers for maintaining their discipline and energy throughout the innings but felt his players failed to match that intensity.
The Coach expressed, “I thought Zimbabwe bowlers bowled with discipline, they filled it well, had a lot of energy, got really up for the fight, and we probably weren’t up to match that fight.”
Deitz said West Indies did not adapt sufficiently to the conditions, particularly as the pitch did not offer the same batting quality experienced earlier in the series.
“With all the discipline at the back in particular, we didn’t show enough discipline on this wicket. It wasn’t probably quite coming on as we had hoped, and we didn’t really knuckle down and do the hard yards,” he explained.
While the defeat was disappointing, Deitz also used the match to underline the importance of opportunities for players looking to establish themselves at international level.
“We talked about opportunity on this tour. A few players got to have a chance to really establish themselves as international cricketers.”
Deitz acknowledged West Indies’ reliance on captain Hayley Matthews, while stressing that the team must develop greater depth so that victories do not depend heavily on one player producing a major performance.
The gaffer said, “We always know that if Hayley does well, we win. If she doesn’t, you know, we struggle. So, we want to try to stop that. We’ve worked really hard.”
He challenged the players who received opportunities in the second ODI to respond in the deciding match.
“If you get limited opportunity, you’ve got to be out there and be tough enough, mentally tough enough to be able to take opportunities and back yourself at this level. And probably we didn’t,” Deitz said.
With the series now level, West Indies will have another opportunity to respond in the third and final ODI, with Deitz urging his players to make the most of their next chance.
“We’ve got a game in a couple of days’ time, so we’ve just got to get ready for that, and they’ll get some more opportunities, and it’s time that they’ve got to make sure they take them,” he said.
“Or, you know, other players are going to have to come to the fore and take their opportunities away from them. So, it’s up to them now to really step up and take that next chance they get.”