We were sloppy between lunch and tea says West Indian bowling coach Roddy Estwick

West Indian bowling coach Roddy Estwick was left reeling and frustrated by the bowlers with their display against Pakistan in the second Test of the series. Twice during the second session, at Bridgetown West Indies were denied the wicket of the Pakistani opener Ahmed Shehzad on account of over-stepping. Shehzad was lucky three times during the entirety of the session, with the first instance coming off in the bowling of Shannon Gabriel.

Shannon Gabriel struck the opener right in front of the stump when he was 21, only for him to get the decision overturned with a review where it was seen that the bowler had overstepped. It was the right-arm quick’s sixth no-ball for the innings.

It was the first reprieve in the innings for Shehzad. Later in the session, it was the offie Roston Chase’s turn. He would have also had Shehzad out stumped at 32 if he too like Gabriel had not overstepped. Gabriel was the guilty party in the second session, conceding nine runs off no-balls.

West Indies bowling coach Estwick was visibly left frustrated and irritated with the bowlers, saying that it was a sign of ‘ill- discipline’, and prompted more from this bowlers. He also suggested that there should be some penalty levied on the player for every no-ball that they bowl. It would enable the bowler to take more responsibility on the field. He, further suggests that the bowlers should be penalised with an immediate effect.

“We have to make sure there is some kind of action starting from the nets, people have to be penalized for it,” Estwick said to ESPNcricinfo.

“Because you can’t continue at the international level to be bowling no-balls. For me, it’s ill-disciplined because you can go through ODIs and T20Is and not bowl no-balls, and then you come into Test matches and you are bowling a cluster of them. To make it even worse, the spinners are bowling no-balls and that is not acceptable at all.”

“They could be fines, they could be any punishments – for every no-ball that you bowl, you have to do 10 sprints, whatever. But there must be some way that people will take accountability for what’s happening. You have to accept the responsibility, it’s you bowling no-balls. I can only help you prepare but when you go out in the middle you have to be as disciplined as possible,” he said.

He further suggested that it would now come personally under his purview on how the bowlers stop overstepping to not give away many runs and to lose the wickets they have picked. He suggests a punishment similar to the batsmen playing a bad shot in the nets.

“Just like, if a person plays a bad shot, there is nothing a batting coach can do about it. If someone drops a catch, they blame the fielding coach but I think it’s all down to discipline, everybody making sure that on the field of play he is as disciplined as possible. I will try and correct it in the nets but it is up to the players to take ownership when they walk out on the field.”

However, the West Indies bowlers came back to dismiss three top-order batsmen to leave the Pakistani side on the back foot at the end of the day’s play.