WI Women’s coach Deitz optimistic despite opening ODI loss

VADODARA, India (CMC):

West Indies Women’s head coach Shane Deitz says the team has to shrug off the opening One Day International (ODI) loss to India quickly and find the right tools to come up with a better plan to turn things around in the second game today.

The regional side was no match for India in the opening game, going down by 211 runs. Despite the heavy defeat, Deitz acknowledges areas for improvement while expressing optimism about turning the series around.

“We still believe we can win the series 2-1. That’s what we’ve got to do. We have come back stronger from ball one than we did in the opening game.”

The Australian made it clear that his team has to do a lot better in the field if they are to mount any sort of a challenge to the home side.

“If you send a team in, you’ve got to take all your catches and capitalize on chances to put them under pressure. We didn’t do that in the first game.”

While the squad has worked hard on catching in training, game-time execution remains a hurdle. Deitz emphasised the importance of improvement across all departments, citing the team’s six-month hiatus from ODI cricket as a possible factor for rustiness.

“We’ve had a lot of T20 cricket recently, including a strong T20 World Cup performance where we made it to the semifinals. Switching back to ODI cricket clearly showed its challenges today.”

Amid the challenges, young Zaida James emerged as a beacon of hope, taking an impressive five wickets for 45 runs. Deitz heaped praise on the budding talent, emphasising the importance of self-belief.

“Performances like that can reinforce to her what we all know, that she’s a good player. It’s a great day for her, but one good performance doesn’t make a career. She’s got to keep working hard and improving every day,” Deitz said.