He may have gone wicketless during the fourth innings as England fell to a bruising defeat in the first Test, but Dom Bess isn't the sort of cricketer whose confidence is easily dented. England's offspinner, still only five matches into his Test career, has declared that he is feeling "really dangerous" and said he was keen to get back into the thick of it when the teams resume their behind-closed-doors contest at Emirates Old Trafford this week.
Bess is used to playing with a burden of expectation of his shoulders, having developed at Somerset where the Taunton surfaces are often tailored to suit himself and Jack Leach, the other spinner in England's 21-man party. Ben Stokes, standing in as captain during the first Test, had partly based his decision at the toss on the theory the Ageas Bowl pitch would take spin in the fourth innings, but while Bess was unable to make a decisive contribution he seems in no way cowed by the experience.
In fact, had a tight review for lbw against Roston Chase gone his way - it came back as umpire's call despite Hawk-Eye suggesting the ball would have hit the top of middle stump - West Indies would have been 31 for 4 and the eventual outcome of the game might well have been different.
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"Personally I was really happy with how it came out, it's just the opportunities that went missing in that last innings," Bess said via video conference from Manchester. "It would have been nice to have that lbw shout, it could have potentially got us on a roll to have them four down. It's coming out really nicely and if I get picked, hopefully we'll get a big score and I can spin a couple out.
"I know I went wicketless [in the second innings], but like I said it could have turned... And actually, the thing I'm focused on is how well it's coming out at the moment, I do feel really dangerous and that's a great place to be. I think as a spinner, some will go your way some days, some won't. That's cricket. I don't look too much into that. I want to contribute with bat, ball and in the field, and when opportunities come I just want to make sure I take them."
Old Trafford has traditionally been viewed as a ground on which spinners can thrive, largely due to the extra bounce. Recently that advantage has been less pronounced, with spin in first-class games averaging 37.95 over the last five years - higher than at all of England's Test grounds bar Cardiff and The Oval - which might suggest Bess, who has never previously played in Manchester, will asked to fulfil more of a holding role.
Even so, he will not be fazed if asked to try and win the game in the fourth innings again (a cause that would be helped by England's batsmen putting up a few more runs), comparing the scenario to that of quick bowlers being presented with seaming conditions.
"I'm used to bowling on spinning wickets," he said. "People talk about this pressure of it being on me, the last day… I've spoken a lot with Leachy about it, this pressure that people put on us. I actually flip it around, it's a great opportunity - it's like saying to a seamer, it's a green one today, are you worried about getting them out? Course you're not, you're excited because it's probably in your favour a little bit more. And that's how I look at it, certainly the last couple of days and hopefully when it spins, it's my time to shine and stand up."
As for his own form, the encouraging signs are simple: bounce and spin. "I feel like I am attacking both edges of the bat. My consistency and accuracy within where I am landing it is dangerous. That comes through training, getting that feel, that rhythm. I'm very big on my rhythm, getting into it. It's just a feeling, I guess and that's certainly what I think I have got at the moment."
The Southampton Test was Bess's first at home since his debut in 2018, having come back from a period in the wilderness to dislodge Leach, his county team-mate, as No. 1 spinner. Bess, who is out of contract with Somerset at the end of the summer, may have to move in order to secure more regular cricket but suggested that as far as he was concerned there was no rivalry with England.
"I am playing at the moment but I am not taking it for granted. I know Leachy is behind me and I know how much he is working. I've had to fight for my spot for a long time I guess, always being behind. Potentially it's a little bit different at the moment, the feeling. But it's about making sure that I focus on what I can control. I know it's a big cliché but it is as simple as that. I've got to make sure I am doing what I can do, day in and day out. There is no rivalry with it. We are helping each other to be as best we can for the England side. That's a great place to be."
Bess's other noteworthy role in Southampton was to contribute to the ball-shining process. "Being a very sweaty man out on the field, I took a little bit of responsibility," he said. Sky's cameras even picked him up collecting sweat from his back - England might need such a combination of inspiration and perspiration if they are to level the series this week.