Garner says the West Indies should not be underestimated in day-night conditions

By Jonathan Liew: The Telegraph

JOEL Garner has warned England that they underestimate the tourists at their peril. The legendary Bajan fast bowler, and now the West Indies team manager, believes that the first-ever day-night Test in England will be won by whichever team can adapt better to the pink ball and the unfamiliar conditions.
The West Indies’ recent record in this country is abysmal. You have to go back to 1988 for their last series win in England, and 2000 for the last time they even won a Test.
With key players such as Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Darren Bravo and Sunil Narine absent due to a board dispute and the Caribbean Premier League, few are offering them much hope this time.
But crucially, they have played a day-night Test before – a narrow defeat to Pakistan in Dubai last October. And with a dangerous pace attack led by Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel, and a new coach in Stuart Law restoring fitness and discipline, Garner believes this series will be a good deal more competitive than many people think.
“Not many people are giving us a lot of hope,” said Garner, who only ever lost one Test series in 10 years as a player. “I think the fellas have got talent. It’s who makes the greatest adjustment in the day-night game. Games between England and the West Indies are competitive. I wouldn’t completely write them off.
“It’s going to be some interesting times. I think people are writing the West Indies off too early, and it could be at their own peril. Cricket is played in the middle at the end of the day and it’s who makes the fastest adjustment.”
Nevertheless, Garner admitted that the absence of at least a dozen players who would easily have made the current squad was a significant loss. “It is what it is,” he said. “The players have made a decision that they want to play a shorter version of the game. They will have to make their mind up about whether they want to come back and play the longer version.
“We will welcome them back because they are our better players, but at the present moment we are here to play cricket. We’ve got to work with what we’ve got.”
And so this is a young, inexperienced West Indies side, only three of whom – Roach, Gabriel and Kieran Powell – have played Test cricket in England before. But Garner said that Law, who replaced Phil Simmons as coach in January, had instilled new standards of professionalism in a squad that had become a touch lazy over the years.
“Some of our players have become accustomed to the CPL way of doing things,” Garner said. “Players are being encouraged to train harder and get fitter. We’ve always had players with ability, players with style and flair, but the lack of preparation at the top could have been part of the problem.”