Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach, is disappointed after his side's embarrassing 26-run defeat against Zimbabwe in the Twenty20 game in Trinidad, but insisted that his side had not taken the opposition lightly.
Zimbabwe were bowled out for 105, with Sulieman Benn taking 4 for 6 and Darren Sammy 5 for 26, but West Indies batsmen struggled to chase that modest target and were kept to 79 for 7. The loss was a poor beginning to Gibson's tenure as West Indies coach.
"I told them [the West Indies side], if you take the team for granted, you'll get beat. I stand here before you to say we didn't take them for granted, we planned for them," Gibson told the Trinidad & Tobago Express.
Gibson stressed on the strong bowling and fielding performance that preceded the batting failure that cost his side the match. "Sulieman Benn, Darren Sammy, Kemar Roach, they all bowled well. We fielded sharply, we dropped only one catch. We just didn't bat well. The first thing is to realise what has gone wrong, and then deal with it."
Gibson was full of praise for Zimbabwe, who recovered from 0 for 3 after 2.4 overs to go on and win the game. "You have got to give credit to Zimbabwe. They played the conditions far better than we did. The wicket was pretty ordinary, not necessarily conducive to stroke-making," Gibson said.
While the visitors recovered to post a three-figure score on a turning wicket, West Indies frittered away a solid start to crumble to 79 for 7 in their 20 overs, a collapse that Gibson attributed to pressure. "That's what pressure does, whether you're experienced or a young player, pressure does that. I am bitterly disappointed with the way we lost, but I'm also looking forward to the future."