WI batters never capitalised on conditions – Chase on test match defeat

The West Indies succumbed to a nine-wicket defeat in the second Test match against New Zealand in Wellington. Test Captain Roston Chase lamented the poor batsmanship shown by his side despite good batting conditions on offer.
“It [batting] was a bit of a concern after coming from that Test match having the beautiful second innings. I thought we came here, and our batters never capitalised on the conditions. I thought we got some starts in the first innings, but no one really went big. And then in the second innings, no one really got the start. So, I think that’s very, very wrong. Conditions were a little bit different, probably not quite what either team expected here at the Basin Reserve,” Chase said.
The skipper added, “I’m not saying it’s something that we struggled with, but initially, we thought that the pitch would have been similar to Christchurch’s. Because usually, you get a lot of bounce here, especially with the green wicket and stuff. But I thought that this wicket was a lot easier and sounded a lot easier than the first Christchurch wicket. I thought it was easier for batting, but the scores didn’t reflect that.”
The three-match series sits at 1-0 after the drawn first Test. Chase believes that his side can level the series in the third and final Test next Wednesday.
“We still have a Test match left, and we can level the series. So that’s all to play for. I don’t think that we need to go and motivate the guys further. It’s right there in the open for everyone to see if we have one more match. So, I think that you can come out and still level this series and play some good cricket. Talent’s there, and the enthusiasm is too,” Chase noted.
The final test is set for Wednesday, December 17, in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand, from 18:00h local time.