MIRPUR – Coach Ottis Gibson is confident that the West Indies will win the three-match One-Day International (ODI) cricket series against Bangladesh.
After taking a 1-0 lead with a 40-run victory in the first game at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium on Thursday, the Caribbean team will face the hosts in the second ODI today.
“The mood in the camp is very good at the moment. Obviously we are a bit disappointed at losing the Twenty20, but yesterday [Thursday] we came out and played and our focus came through – and it has given us a lot of confidence,” Gibson said in an interview with digicelcricket.com.
“Marlon Samuels was in great form and Lendl Simmons hit his first century. Overall, the guys stuck with the plan they had, and the results speak for themselves.”
Gibson said things had gone well so far on the tour of Bangladesh despite humid conditions.
“We’ve started this series positively and the boys are even talking more about believing they can win – about what they need to do to win this series.
“[Thursday’s] win has put the opposition under pressure and a couple of more wins will see us win this series – something we haven’t done in a while – so we’re looking forward to it,” Gibson said.
“Morale is very high and now going forward our consistency is a big focus. We have the confidence, so now we need to maintain momentum and deliver consistently.
“It is much more humid than what we are accustomed to so managing the heat and the players’ fitness is the focus,” he added.
Gibson said he was optimistic about the future of some of the younger members of the squad “There are many future stars on the team. Young [Devendra] Bishoo has shown his capabilities on the international stage and [Darren] Bravo continues to improve.
“Kirk Edwards and [Lendl] Simmons are also proving their worth, so if they continue to put in the hard work and continue to improve, the sky is the limit for these guys.” (EZS/CMC)