West Indies coach Gus Logie says he has seen a change in attitude of players in his first series in charge of the senior regional cricket team.
The former West Indies batsman made the observation in spite of generally disappointing results in the Cable & Wireless series against Australia in which the hosts lost the Test contest 1-3 and trail the limited-overs series 1-4 ahead of the final two matches here this weekend.
“The gist of the exercise this season has been to see gradual improvement in every aspect of the game - the physical, tactical, technical and mental sides,” Logie said.
“From game to game, we are seeing where the players are showing a little shift in attitude and changes that we are quite proud of.
“The work ethic has picked up. We see people wanting to do extra work on their own, asking to do extra batting, extra catching, extra bowling; leadership within the team is taking root.
“The players are the ones that have to go out there and execute it. They need to be involved in planning, they need to be involved in executing, they need to be involved in the whole dynamics of the game. I think we are seeing that.”
Speaking after a practice session yesterday at the impressive facilities of the Shell Cricket Academy of St George’s University, Logie said last Sunday’s One-Day International in which the West Indies posted the highest total of the series and went on to win by 39 runs, was an example that positive results could be achieved if “we put our heart and soul into it”.
“There is a certain level of commitment that we are seeing from the senior players especially,” he said. “It certainly has transferred to the younger ones. We are seeing the word ‘responsibility’ taking root into the team.
“Players are being responsible, not only for their own cricket, but also for each other. That’s something that’s very important and is very dynamic in the team.”
Logie praised vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, Mervyn Dillon and Ricardo Powell for taking responsibility for different skills areas.
The former Trinidad and Tobago captain, who played 52 Tests in champion Caribbean teams under Clive Lloyd and Vivian (now Sir Viv) Richards, served as WICB junior coach [“A”, Under-19 and Under-15 teams] between 1996 and this year when he landed the job of assistant coach of the senior team.
He was asked to perform the role of team coach until the post is filled following Australian Bennett King’s decision not the accept the job and has described his brief stint as “so far, so good”.
“It’s different. At this level, there are a lot of stakeholders around, a lot of people who want things to go in a certain direction,” he said.
“When I came on board, one of the first things I thought would be nice is to have some of the senior players getting involved in sharing their expertise, being around the players, and making sure they can come and give advice any time.
“That is something I felt was good for our development. I don’t feel any one person can make the change in West Indies cricket. We all have a part to play.”