Chase calls for improvements

AHMEDABAD, India:

Financial struggles and inferior playing conditions in the Caribbean are contributing to the West Indies' poor performances on the cricket pitch, says Test captain Roston Chase.

Chase made the comments following his side's humiliating loss by an innings and 140 runs to India inside three days in the opening Test match on Saturday.

However, he maintained that he was not looking for an excuse for his side's recent struggles, after they slumped to their fifth Test defeat in six matches this year.

It was also the fourth consecutive Test match that the West Indies had lost inside three days, dating back to the home series against Australia in July.

Speaking in a post-match press conference on Saturday, Chase said there was a need for improved infrastructure as well as better pitches and playing conditions.

"...What I would say is that obviously there is a struggle in the Caribbean for finances, so whatever help we can get I hope that they do get it so that they can strengthen the infrastructure for the cricket.

"I think the systems in the Caribbean are a bit poor in terms of training facilities and stuff, but I'm not using that as an excuse or something to hide behind for our poor performances that we've been putting out lately. I still think the onus is on the players to find some way to churn out runs and wickets," Chase said.

The skipper said playing conditions in the region made it difficult for them to be competitive on the international stage.

He said batters in particular found it challenging to score runs, as was evident in the series against Australia where not a single batsman scored a century.

"...The pitches in the Caribbean are not really batsmen friendly, so guys don't really bat for long periods and score those big scores.

"And the outfields in the Caribbean are really slow so when you hit the ball in the gaps and you think you have four you probably end up with just two, so those are some of the problems that we're faced with in the Caribbean, so that's why you see guys averaging so low," Chase explained.

"If you look at the past series that we had against Australia, I think that's the first time I've ever played an international series and a batsman never scored a hundred in three matches."

- CMC