West Indies Show Signs of Promise at the Start of Phil Simmons' Reign

Head coach Phil Simmons knew there would be no quick fix when it came to turning around West Indies' fortunes in Test cricket.

Speaking before his first match in charge, against England in Antigua, Simmons made clear what he expected of his players, per George Dobell of ESPN Cricinfo: 

"

It's a lot about discipline. Whatever you do—bowl, bat or field—discipline comes through.

And pride comes into it. Life is about pride. Anything you do, you have to do it with pride and do it to the best of your ability.

At our best we represented five-million people but we enjoyed what we did on the field. We knew we represented the Caribbean people and people from afar but we made sure we enjoyed it. 

My coaching philosophy is: Practice hard; play easy. We have to be doing things a lot harder in practice. And that will make things easier when we get on the field.

"

So far, two days into the opening Test of his maiden series, Simmons should be happy with what he has seen.

He has had little time to settle in to the role, having only left his previous post with Ireland at the conclusion of their World Cup campaign in March.

However, his bowlers appear to be quick learners.

An attack of seam trio Jerome Taylor, Kemar Roach and Jason Holder, plus left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn, is not going to evoke memories of the West Indies' halcyon days.

The times when touring teams were being blitzed by a barrage of bouncers in the Caribbean are now just distant memories.

Docile pitches do not aid the development of quick bowlers, and the surfaces in the West Indies are not what they used to be.

Ricardo Mazalan/Associated Press

The strip at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound was far from a seamers' paradise at the toss on Monday morning, yet there was enough there to tempt home captain Denesh Ramdin to put England in.

His pacemen did their best to vindicate his decision, taking three wickets during the first morning.

Taylor tempted the recalled Jonathan Trott to spar at a textbook outswinger, while Roach—short in stature but sharp in terms of speed—bowled England captain Alastair Cook off an inside edge.

Holder, easily the tallest of the three at 6'7", got in on the act by getting Gary Ballance caught at first slip.

Yet having hunted as a pack before lunch, they let a promising start slip away over the course of the afternoon and evening. They faded badly in the final session in particular, leaking 174 runs.

They had been disciplined, just as their coach had demanded in his pre-match interview, with the first new ball, but they were expensive when given a second late on.

It was hard to be too critical, though, considering the workload thrust upon the three seamers. A fourth seam-bowling option would have helped Ramdin, but their leading all-rounders—Dwayne Bravo and Andre Russell—are currently away, plying their trade in the Indian Premier League.

But, able to rest and recover overnight, the home bowlers were rejuvenated on the second morning.

Having resumed on 341 for five, England were dismissed for 399 shortly before lunch. Roach finished with four for 94, though it was Taylor who claimed the key scalp of Ben Stokes for 79.

In the opening session on each day, they had managed to pick up eight wickets at a cost of 107 runs. In the other two, the visitors had compiled 292 for the loss of just two batsmen, centurion Ian Bell and Joe Root.

At least West Indies could take great pride in their bowling efforts, and so too could Simmons.

It may be early in his reign, but the signs suggest his message is getting through.