Coley calls for more Scorpions venom
Published:Tuesday | February 16, 2021 | 12:17 AMLennox Aldred/Gleaner Writer
Jamaica Scorpions head coach Andre Coley says his team will need to have better clarity at the moment and execute when they come up against the Windward Islands Volcanoes, in their Cricket West Indies Regional Super50 encounter at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua today at 12:30 p.m.
The Scorpions are coming off back-to-back losses to the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, and the Guyana Jaguars, and today’s encounter against the Andrew Richardson-coached Volcanoes is almost like a must-win for the Scorpions, who are at the foot of the table on no points.
Coley lamented that the team’s bowling unit has been found wanting in previous encounters, while the batting unit needs to recalibrate its approach if the Scorpions are to get their first win of the tournament.
The Scorpions conceded 259 runs against the Red Force in 41 overs and 299 runs in 50 overs against the Jaguars. Coley said that the bowlers have been starting and bowling well in the power plays, but the middle overs are proving challenging.
“We have some areas we need to work on,” he said. “In the two games, so far, we allowed too many runs to be scored on us because the bowling plans that we had, we have not been executing them. We have to keep at it and today is another opportunity to get it right.”
OPT FOR CHANGE
The Scorpions may opt for a change in the bowling department with left-arm slow bowler Dennis Bulli likely to make way having conceded quite a few runs and not being able to play the strike bowler role which Coley had anticipated.
Coley is expecting his batsmen to play situational cricket and access the game accordingly. Brandon King has the only half-century so far for the Scorpions, with captain Rovman Powell and Andre McCarthy, twice getting into the 40s.
“The guys are getting starts and we need to just be smart about how we go about our run chase,” Coley said. “Some of the big shots that we have been playing are good, but we must know when to use our power, and pace the game a bit more.”
Volcanoes coach Andrew Richardson has been quietly going about the business of preparing his team to face the Scorpions. The Volcanoes, who lie third in the standings, beat the Leeward Islands Hurricanes in their opening encounter and then lost their second game against the Red Force.
They will be banking on the experience of veteran Andre Fletcher and captain Sunil Ambris to lead their batting with Larry Edward and Preston McSween spearheading the bowling.
For Richardson, the game plan will be simple.
“We are looking to execute our game plans better than our last outing,” he said.