West Indies coach tells players to ‘bat normally’ to earn winZak Crawley hopes the pitch will spin on day fivePhil Simmons credited Jason Holder for sparking a “special day” for the West Indies bowling attack and told his batsmen to draw confidence from their first innings performance when it comes to tackling the run chase.
The West Indies head coach looked on as Holder removed his fellow all-rounder Ben Stokes for the second time in the match, the first of five English wickets to fall for 30 runs in 12.2 overs during the evening as the hosts closed on 284 for eight. Holder’s side now need two quick wickets in the morning before England’s lead swells much beyond its current 170 on the fifth-day pitch but Simmons, whose side stuck 318 on the board first time around, is confident their eventual target will be manageable.