CARL HOOPER has two main concerns and two weeks and two matches in which to address them.
The West Indies captain acknowledged after defeat by New Zealand in Port Elizabeth in Thursday's World Cup group match that he and the team's other decision-makers would have to review the use of Chris Gayle's flat off-spin to close out an innings.
And he indicated there would be some stern words about the casual missed catches that made the thrilling victory by three runs over South Africa in the tournament opener closer than it should have been and contributed significantly to Thursday's loss by 20 runs.
"We're struggling at the moment to find someone to bowl with Vasbert (Drakes) at the end," Hooper said. "That's an area we'll have to look at."
"Chris has done a good job for us in the past but he's gone for quite a few in the two matches so far," added. "We tried Merv (Dillon) in (the Champions Trophy) in Sri Lanka but that didn't work out so we'll see what other options we have."
Gayle's ability to spear yorkers into the block hole against batsmen intent on boundary-hitting in the closing overs has usually made him the preferred bowling choice since Jimmy Adams used him with dramatic effect for the last over of a NatWest Trophy match against England at Nottingham in 2000.
England needed five to win with three wickets standing. Alec Stewart, batting with a hundred, misguidedly took a leg-bye off the first ball, Paul Franks was run out and Gayle finished things off by bowling Darren Gough first ball and having Alan Mulally LBW second ball to clinch victory.
In each of the two matches here, his yorker has earned him a late wicket Mark Boucher against South Africa and Chris Harris against New Zealand. But there is no more than a few inches between a yorker and a full toss and Gayle was smashed for three sixes in one over during Lance Klusener's blitz for South Africa and a couple by Andre Adams in successive overs for New Zealand, his last of the innings costing 15.
Gayle was twice betrayed by deep fielders, altogether too nonchalant about a serious business.
Pedro Collins caught Klusener a yard inside the boundary on Sunday but needlessly went three steps back to touch the ropes and transform a wicket into a six that was immediately followed by another.
In Port Elizabeth, Andre Adams' attempt at a second six off successive balls from Gayle carried comfortably to deep square-leg where Marlon Samuels, in his first appearance in the tournament as substitute, sauntered in to collect the catch two-handed and dropped it as he had to reach forward.
"We're dropping straightfoward catches and they're costing us," Hooper said. "We've not only got to take the simple ones but latch on to the difficult ones as well. That's what can make the difference."
The value of fielding was accentuated by the New Zealanders' on Thursday. The fourth ball run-out Brian Lara was critical, its execution breathtaking.
Lou Vincent's sliding pick-up at deep mid-wicket, his swift relay to Chris Cairns, baseball style, and Cairns' direct hit of the one stump at which he had to aim with Lara well short of his third run sent an electric charge through the New Zealanders that carried through to the end.
They held every catch offered, Jacob Oram, a man of huge proportions, lunging forward full length at third man to gather the last.
It is the kind of intensity not evident in all the West Indians in the field.
As Hooper acknowledged, the bowling was not culpable in the loss to New Zealand and, costly as it was, neither was Samuels' error.
No team can expect to successfully chase 241 losing the top five in the order for 12 from 30 balls.
Ramnaresh Sarwan, who has grown from boy to man within the last six months, and Ridley Jacobs, that most competitive of cricketers, saved a lot of face if not any points with their measured partnership of 97 but there was never any realistic way back from 46 for five.
No one had more to answer for than Hooper himself.
At a time when his leadership was most needed, he surrendered his wicket with the paddled hook that has become his trademark method of dismissal over the years.
The West Indies have two matches against the two weakest teams in the group, Bangladesh in Benoni on Tuesday and Canada in Centurion on February 23, prior to what is likely to be their decisive encounter, day/night against Sri Lanka in Cape Town February 28.
There is likely to be some experimentation in the next two matches, with the bowling combinations and more middle practice for Wavell Hinds whose steady medium-pace on Thursday was a revelation.
But it is unlikely to provide any answers to Hooper's final overs problem prior to what could be a decisive match against Sri Lanka.
The last follows in Kimberley March 4 against Kenya, their everlasting bogey since their infamous loss in the 1996 World Cup.
Three from each group advance to the last six, the Super Six round, and, given there are no slip-ups against the minor teams, it is possible for New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies to all end with 16 points, necessitating a complicated tie-breaker.
Had Samuels held his chance, Gayle found more yorkers than full tosses in his close-out overs and the top order applied a little more control against New Zealand, it would not now be of concern.