Perth, Australia – It was a hot, sun-kissed Saturday morning as the West Indies players hit the nets at the WACA Ground with one aim in mind. They wanted to "get it right" as they look to rebound from the defeat against Australia in the first One-Day International. Temperatures reached 38 Degrees Celsius as the players went about their preparations.
There is a short turnaround between matches and the Windies will have another date against the Aussies in the second One-Day International at the WACA Ground on Sunday. First ball is 11:20 am (11:20 pm Saturday Eastern Caribbean Time/10:20 pm Jamaica Time).
Speaking to the media on Saturday, Head Coach Ottis Gibson backed his team to "get it right and respond to the challenge" facing them.
We focus on us, keeping our spirits high and making sure when we step out onto the park, we play with pride and passion and try to win," Gibson said. "We had some good preparation leading up to yesterday. We spoke about the Perth conditions, but we just didn’t respond to what was a great spell of fast bowling by Mitchell Starc.
"As you can see from the way we are here in the nets, at 9 o’clock in the morning, we are trying to get it right for tomorrow. We are a talented batting side and they are a talented bowling side. We look forward to tomorrow and that is what international sport is all about."
Gibson added: "We knew coming away from home playing in these conditions would always have been a test. I don’t think we will make wholesale changes. We lost the first match of a five-match series and we are eagerly looking forward to the next four.
"The guys that were picked in the first game are the guys we thought would do the job. We back the guys we have in the squad and we will send them out tomorrow, with better preparation and a better mindset, so I’m positive tomorrow you will see a different West Indies team."
Gibson has charted the course for the West Indies over the last three years and in that time the team has made strides forward. They drew the five-match ODIs series 2-2 against Australia last March and won four consecutive Test matches in 2012. The highlight of the year was winning the ICC World T20 trophy in Sri Lanka. Gibson believes this series is another opportunity for the players to show their worth.
"Maybe two years ago it wouldn’t have been as easy to pull ourselves around as it is now. We had a good 2012 and we did a lot of good things. We learned a lot of things about ourselves as a side and we have a captain who is a very strong character and leads the team well, and we have some good experience in the side," he said.
"They all accepted that what happened yesterday was not good enough and it was not what we came here to do. I fully expect that we will bounce back strong. One of the hallmarks of this side over the last 12 months is that they are able to handle some tough situations. We have to bounce back and the one thing that’s there is that there is a really good spirit in the team with guys believing in each other. Tomorrow is a new day and you will see a different West Indies team."
After Sunday’s match on the western coast of the country, the series switches to the eastern centres. The other three matches will be February 6 (Manuka Oval, Canberra), February 8 (SCG), and February 10 (MCG). The teams will also play a one-off T20 International at the Gabba, Brisbane on February 13.
Full Schedule of matches
February
Friday 1: One-Day International – Australia won by 9 wickets at WACA, Perth
Sunday 3: 2nd One-Day International – WACA, Perth
Wednesday 6: 3rd One-Day International – Manuka Oval, Canberra
Friday 8: 4th One-Day International – SCG, Sydney
Sunday 10: 5th One-Day International – MCG, Melbourne
Wednesday 13: T20 International – The Gabba, Brisbane