Zimbabwe tour an opportunity at redemption for West Indies

The West Indies Men’s Team have had their fair share of issues in the past, but with the Test tour of Zimbabwe looming, there may be a chance for the team to turn over a new leaf. While Interim Head Coach Andre Coley sees this assignment as a shot at redemption, Captain Kraigg Brathwaite eyes the possibility of a ‘strong start’.
The West Indies Men’s Test team are embarking on a two- match Test Tour of Zimbabwe, having touched down in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe on Tuesday morning. The tour includes a three-day warm-up match, set to begin on Saturday, January 28, while the first Test will bowl off on Saturday, February 4.

In Zimbabwe, interim Head Coach Andre Coley, who is now taking on his first assignment in the role, opined that the tour could restore some confidence to the team. “Very excited! This tour offers opportunities, not only individually as players, but as a team: for us to regain a lot of confidence and to be at our best,” Coley shared with Cricket West Indies’ Media team.
Coley also shared that some application from the team might be able to yield the positive results being searching for. He shared, “If we’re able to apply ourselves and play each situation as necessary, then we can look to post challenging totals – especially in our first innings – to have some control over the game. And as the game progresses, (we can) position ourselves in such a way that we could come out with a positive result.”

Meanwhile, speaking on what is the team’s first tour for 2023, Captain Kraigg Brathwaite expressed intentions of ‘starting strong’, sharing that the team cannot take Zimbabwe for granted. He related, “We look forward to a highly contested series. You know, Zimbabwe at home, obviously they play well at home, so we can’t take them for granted. That’s the main thing we really gotta stress on, and pretty much play ten days of solid Test cricket.
“I really look forward to a big team effort. Australia, you know, was a tough tour for us; we didn’t fire in the last Test match. So, obviously, (it is) the beginning of the year, and we want to start strong. And we cannot take Zimbabwe for granted, we have to go out there and think we’re playing the number 1 team in the world. We really gotta push ourselves and fight hard,” Brathwaite emphasised.
The first Test in Zimbabwe will run from February 4-8, while the second runs from February 12-16. Both games will be played at the Queen’s Sports Club in Bulawayo.
The West Indies Test Squad reads: Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Jermaine Blackwood (vice-captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Roston Chase, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Devon Thomas and Jomel Warrican.