WI team lacking self-confidence

Melbourne - Jimmy Adams and Roger Harper are both agreed on the main reason for the West Indies team's continuing descent towards the bottom rung of world cricket.

It is a lack of self-belief.

'There are players who have done enough, often enough, who you figure will always carry that self-belief,' captain Adams said after the latest debacle, the innings defeat in three days by Victoria on Sunday, three days before the first Test in Brisbane on Thursday.

'But there might be a few young players for whom it is up to us to keep reinforcing the fact that they are here because they are good enough and just repeating it over and over again.'

Adams didn't specifically identify anyone. He didn't have to.

The tension was evident in the brief innings of the two youngest players on the team, Daren Ganga and Ramnaresh Sarwan, against Victoria. It was most obvious with Sarwan who was unrecognisable as the effervescent youngster who so captivated all with his positive batting in Tests in the Caribbean and England early this year. He was out first ball in the first innings, fifth in the second, without scoring a run.

The general demeanour in training and in the middle is another telltale sign. It is of a team lacking conviction and enthusiasm.

'I think the answer lies more within than without,' was Adams' assessment. 'I don't think it's a technical problem per se. Some of the work has to be done within, to do whatever we have to do to reinforce the fact that the players here are good players, quality players.'

Harper acknowledged that confidence was waning.

'To be honest, I think that deep down they (the players) believe they have it in them but they may be asking themselves some questions because of the recent history,' he said.

Harper admitted he wasn't sure what could be done to turn things around.

'There are a lot of things that have to be taken into consideration,' he said. 'I haven't exactly put my finger on it. We're still striving to get there. We're still trying to find the definite and precise answer.'

Adams would not be drawn into whether there was still a need for an attendant psychologist, the so-called performance consultant.

'That's going down a road I don't want to go down,' he said. 'Any answer given can be taken in several different lights so I prefer now to go down that road.'

Both were adamant that the problem was not for a lack of trying.

'Physically, I have no doubt that we're working a lot harder and a lot better in terms of preparation than we have in the past,' Harper said.

'I can't question the time spent in the nets by the players,' Adams noted. 'Whenever they've had a spare moment since arriving here, they've been in the nets. Even if it's raining, they're indoors. I can't fault that, I really can't.'