Roddy Estwick

Former West Indian great Courtney Walsh has been appointed manager of the under-19 team for the tour of USA starting on Friday.

The West Indies are showing signs that they are developing a pace attack that could stand comparison with the great Caribbean sides of the past, assistant coach Roddy Estwick said on Monday.

Chris Gayle's recent struggles with the bat have not undermined his status as a West Indian great who can work wonders at the Twenty20 World Cup, assistant coach Roddy Estwick said Monday.

Virat Kohli is the "benchmark" and that is why all West Indies players should work as hard as the Indian captain to achieve their goals, feels their assistant coach Roddy Estwick.

While Kohli’s batting genius is there for everyone to see, it is the work he puts in behind the scenes that Roddy Estwick wants the young West Indians to learn from.

Five members of the visiting West Indies team, including three players, have tested positive for COVID-19, which has thrown their ongoing tour of Pakistan into jeopardy.

West Indies head coach Phil Simmons has entered self-isolation after attending a funeral but fast bowler Alzarri Joseph said it would not hamper the team's preparation for the three-test series against England.

A one-day international series between hosts Pakistan and the West Indies starting this weekend was called off Thursday because of a Covid-19 outbreak among the visitors, officials from both sides said.

"Stop looking for excuses and start finding solutions," said West Indies assistant coach Roddy Estwick, urging his side to stick together and come back stronger after suffering a crushing seven-wicket defeat to Bangladesh in the World Cup.

The West Indies pace battery can challenge any team, according to assistant coach Roddy Estwick, who reckons the current attack could shape up to a lethal force reminiscent of the famed Caribbean bowling of the past.

West Indies' bowling coach Roddy Estwick was satisfied with the effort put in by the bowlers which saw them blow away Indian top-order leaving them rattled at 126 for five before Ravichandran Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha saved the day for the visitors.

The West Indies looked set to play Pakistan in a third Twenty20 match Thursday despite a growing Covid outbreak in the touring squad, but the fate of the one-day international series hangs in the balance.

Away from nets for a long period due to the COVID-19 lockdown, the players, including Kraigg Brathwaite, Shai Hope, Kemar Roach, Shane Dowrich, Shamarh Brooks and Raymon Reifer trained at the Kensington Oval behind closed doors on Monday.

If one goes by what the team management often stresses, West Indies are in the rebuilding phase and it will take some time before the team begins to challenge the top teams in Test cricket. Till that happens, have patience and bear with us, is the refrain.

When the players of England and West Indies walk out on to the lush Ageas Bowl pitch on Wednesday it will be a landmark moment for international cricket after a 117-day hiatus. It will also be a milestone in the career of England's talisman Ben Stokes as he captains the side for the first time. The circumstances will be surreal with the Covid-19 pandemic meaning no fans.

The pace spearhead and Australia captain Cummins has been nursing a mild thigh problem and did not bowl on the last two days of the opening Test in Perth, which Australia won by 164 runs.

West Indies Test batsman Shamarh Brooks has credited late West Indian legend Sir Everton Weekes for his role in helping the 31 year old become a better cricketer.

Two World T20 titles have been like oasis in the desert but they have only camouflaged the decay that the game has undergone here. West Indies' record in Test cricket, the most demanding format of the game, has been especially abject in the last two decades or so.

West Indies captain Kieron Pollard on Saturday said his team is "on a mission" to do better in the one-dayers but insisted that favourable results may not come immediately.

Babar Azam missed out on a hundred but Fawad Alam may yet have the chance to reach three figures after the pair lifted Pakistan from a horrific start to end day one of the second Test against the West Indies in relative comfort at 212 for four at Sabina Park on Friday.