Young Windies will need time to mature – Gayle

WEST Indies star batsman Chris Gayle has cautioned that it will take time for the regional team to improve their play in the longest format of the game.Currently occupying eighth place in the ICC Rankings the regional team have not won a series since 2014 when they defeated Bangladesh in the Caribbean.
The team’s most recent series against world number two-ranked India and number three-ranked Australia have been decidedly one-sided affairs, drawing the ire of many regional fans.
With the majority of the team having played less than 40 Tests Gayle believes that a lack of experience is a major factor in the team’s struggles.
“To be successful in Tests will actually take time since it’s a rebuilding process. The youngsters in the team need to mature, gain a lot of experience and they still need a few senior players here and there to actually guide them along.
“The board and the players are trying to sort things out and hopefully one day it will happen and everyone will be on the same page. There have been meetings, effort and progress to get everything on track for West Indies cricket,” Gayle said.
The 36-year-old also believes the team’s lack of success in the format is down to an issue of concentration.
“In both formats of the game we struggle to concentrate for long periods of time. This has been the case since I made my debut under the captaincy of Brian Lara.
“We only play cricket in short sessions and then we switch off, so that’s how we tend to lose a lot of Test matches. In the shorter format of the game it’s just boom, boom and check if the game is over,” he added.

(Sportsmax.com)