Winning the new direction in post Sammy era: Gibson

Gibson banking on home advantage to beat Black Caps

Head coach Ottis Gibson has praised Darren Sammy’s tenure as captain but says the West Indies need to now focus on picking a more attacking eleven that can win more Test matches.

Sammy was sacked as Test captain earlier this month and replaced by wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, with the West Indies Cricket Board pointing out that the change was intended to achieve “maximum performance for each format of the game”.

Gibson told on Monday that hopefully the West Indies would now go in a new direction which would see enhanced performances in the Test arena.

“The direction is excellence. The direction is trying to win Test matches. We looked at balance and everything else - that (balance) has been a hot topic since the day Sammy took the position as captain,” Gibson said.

Gibson, who has now coached West Indies for four years, says new skipper Ramdin would have the unqualified support of everyone as the side embarked on a new era.

First up, the West Indies are banking on home advantage to give them the edge over New Zealand in the upcoming three-Test series. 

“The time before that (2012) we played them in our own backyards and we beat them quite comfortably and then we went away (last year) and they won quite comfortably over there so now it is our opportunity to show that what happened in New Zealand was a blip, if you like,” Gibson said. 

“It was unexpected but they (New Zealand) played very well. They are a resurgent sort of team so you have to give them the respect they deserve. We just have to make sure we put in the level of performance that we need to beat them. 

“It is not going to be easy but playing at home will always give us confidence, especially with the fans behind us, to go out and do well and win the series.”