14 March - Hamilton - West Indies coach Courtney Walsh pre-match press conference
Reporter: So, how would you rate the bowlers in the power play so far? The work that Henry and Connell have been able to do?
Coach Courtney Walsh: it’s really not been too bad. I mean, we had one really bad game against India. I don't think it's cause – we are not worried about, there's some good cricket wickets we’re playing on, and if a batter gets set in, they can take a challenge. I think India did pretty well against us and it's something that we have to look at. That's the only game that our team really got off a bit against us in the power play. I think the bowlers has I've been doing a reasonably job so far in that department.
Reporter: Well, you spoke about just how much would you rate the pitch versus the batter's versus our Bowlers? Was that really a 320 pitch?
Walsh: I wouldn't - it was not a 320 pitch I think - well when I looked at it I thought if we can restrict them to 270 - 250 would have done well, but it definitely looked like It could 300 - you know they played well. We didn't execute as well as we could have or should have. And you know when you get in the way that they played - knowing that they had also to win that game and they executed better on the day. And you know, the 270 that I thought they would have gotten end up being 320 - based on the start that we had if we had done what we can do or wanted to do, would have made a good game of it but unfortunately things didn't go the plan was- it was a decent batting track I thought at the start of it and they did made full use of it. They've got a little bit more turn as the game went on. But that doesn't make it any issue is we just executed poorly.
Reporter: How has the team processed that loss to India and how do you move on to that quickly before playing Australia?
Walsh: Well, we have a game tomorrow. So to move on pretty quickly - outings, we play travel, practice play. So it's not a lot of times aside and worry about what was going on. We just have to be positive on the rest - Yes, it was a very disappointing game for us. But we still have four more games in the competition to play with in the group stages. So we have to focus on that and play one game at a time. You know, we played the number two team and they out did us very, very well - we play the number one team tomorrow and we just have to look forward to our execution, our game plan and if we can do what we want to do and get it done, you know, the team knows that once you play well enough idea we can beat any team, so we are hopeful we are going to be coming to play good cricket tomorrow and respect your position and play good cricket as well.
Reporter: Can I just get an update on Deandra Dottin. Did she train today? And is she looking like she'll be fit to play tomorrow?
Walsh: Well, I told her to take it easy the next couple of days. That was from the game because she really did everything she could to stay on the field in the last game. At the end of the game I thought over the next couple of days is yours and I'll reassess her tomorrow. As far as I'm concerned. I know she wants to play. She's here and she said she will play - that was her two days. So she didn't practice it there. She just did what she had to do. Rest and recovery, so to speak. And we assessed her in the morning and knowing Deandra, if she has recovered. She's going to go ahead and give it everything she has because she's a fighter, we have to look that there's other games down the road after – so if there is any risk of the injury getting worse, then it’s something that we would look at - but as it is right now. She has a couple days off and we assess her in the morning.
Reporter: In the ICC column before the World Cup, Stafanie Taylor, the captain mentioned that West Indies have been able to do this stuff because the coaching staff has been able to teach them what they were completely unaware of previously. I just want to know what are your insights and what are the things that you have done differently that team has been in this great position?
Walsh: Just to be honest on them and look at where we are what we need to do- the areas that we need to improve on, some tough questions, give some tough answers. And they have adapted and accepted most of it. And it's work in progress. I think they understand that the staff is here for them to help them to improve in all departments of the game. And you know the good thing is that the players are bought into it as well. So we are here to teach them as much as we can give them a good understanding of the game. And I mean, everybody brought might expect for me to be handle holding the team to recover the loss, but sometimes you do want them to fail, to know that you're going to fail some time. And so to move on from there and not be afraid of failure because if you're afraid of failure at times, it might cost you so you know you want them to have that confidence and that self-belief and I think that's one of the areas that I've been pushing that we try to improve on as well. And as I said, teaching them new things and explaining to them and giving them the understanding of what it's like and how to go about it. When you have a coaching staff like Robert Summers and Cory who have played Test cricket as well. At the highest level. I mean, that's the best brains I think to pick with, so they have sort of tapped into that. And we're just here to pass on as much experience as you can to help them progress.
Reporter: I'm a journalist here in Wellington. I just wanted to ask about your thoughts on the flow over rate and the 40% match fee. What were your thoughts on that? And what does that mean in regards to financial terms for the players?
Walsh: Well, any team will say that financially we don't want that to happen. I know it's going to be difficult – if a team score 380 runs against you and you got to be really cheap in the balls. It's going to slow things a little bit. We had a number stoppages. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go to the room to see- to check the logs and to find out exactly what went about. But now we're a couple of stoppages and stuff so I'm hoping that everything was put into place and they have checked with all the calculations. But you don't want the team to ever fine and get 40% - at no point in time. I think. If everything is put into perspective, when I looked at it, I figured we probably - we were slow behind – but I thought we were probably about one over slow behind. But I wasn't paying close attention to the match officials who have a job to do with that. So we just have to accept it and look at it. And as I said, because I wasn't able to speak directly with the persons who were involved. I don't know how they calculated on exactly what they did was the managing, and then once they're happy, then we just have to move on and ensure it doesn't happen again. Because you don't want people to be financially dependent one on us and you don't want to slow down the game. And there's a case that we were trying to slow the game down or anything like that. Just on the day, a lot of stuff happen. We had injuries we had a lot of boundaries being hit. A lot of you know wicket keepers being changed. It's going to slow down a little bit but I mean, once everything is put into perspective and the comments come into play, then we just have to accept what is there and hopefully, you know it doesn't happen again. But I don't like to place a fine whether it's opposition or my team - because no one wants to sort of take anything from the players, especially in this financial crunch time.
Reporter: Financially. What does that mean though? Like what do players receive for their match appearance phase, and it's kind of kept up the disparity of pay between men and women. So what do you make of that, like, what is 40% of what women get paid? Do you know?
Walsh: I don't know. And I try not to get into their business so to speak, but 40% percent of anything is going to be a lot. So I mean, whatever the payment is, that's a lot for them to lose. And I'm really hoping that it does not happen again, I was hoping that it didn't happen and if you ever get one over behind or whatever - But if the 11 players, I was on the field and I got to understand and it's just something that you know, we have to try to guard against and be more careful against next time but you really want anyone to be losing out financially, whether that be major or minor, especially these tough times.
Reporter: Hi, coach. I just wanted to ask, after the kind of game you've had against India, how crucial or advantageous is that the next game is not far away, just a day ahead, so that you can put things behind and look forward to the next contest?
Walsh: Well, we played two days ago, travelled yesterday, practiced today and then we play tomorrow, so we haven’t got a lot of time in between. As the person mentioned - what we're going to do with someone like Deandra - we just didn't have a choice more than to give her as much time to recover to see whether we can get her back on the path and in what conditions she'll be in. From the player's perspective, I want to try to keep them fresh as well because of what we're doing and we can't make any excuses, the itineraries there. We just have to make do as best as we can to get the professionals ready for the game tomorrow. The game tomorrow is very, very important to us, and we want to keep on making good during the competition, we had a decent start. We had one bad game, but we still have four games to go, to ensure that we play to the best of our ability. So once we are true to ourselves, we give everything that we have on the field. And that's all you can ask as a coach, from a coaching perspective, you're trying to keep people as fresh as you can. Give them the best chance to perform.
Reporter: Just a quick follow up – West Indies won 2 out of the 3 games, they are still in a very good position. With four more games to go, how important is to not go two down on one loss, put it all behind it and go all out again as you just said?
Walsh: Yes, the most important thing is focus on one game at a time, we had a decent start, we had some good momentum, we know that it’s not every day that you're against good oppositions right throughout he competition, so you can't underestimate anything. We just have to regroup and get ourselves ready - we’re playing the number one team tomorrow in the rankings and we just have to come out and test ourselves against them and say, Oh, well, we can compete and execute and if we do, as well as I know we can, you know we'll definitely be given a very good account of ourselves, as getting back into the groove of playing very competitively and doing the best you can and leaving it on the field out there.
Reporter: Hi, coach, Courtney. I just wanted to ask you, given that you had two wins and a loss, what aspects of the game do you think would you like to see the West Indies women, or they have to improve on against the number one ranked Team Australia to get a win tomorrow?
Walsh: We have to be good in all aspects of it. We have to ensure that we compete right through the game and we watched the game against New Zealand yesterday and they're just too good teams, but we have to be at our A game in our department – batting, bowing and also fielding and also the mindset. So we have to come prepared tomorrow to play good hard cricket and execute it well in all departments. If you can do that, then you know I’ll be very happy.
Reporter: Since you took over as West Indies head coach, what kind of evolution have you seen in Deandra Dottin the all-rounder and also as a senior member of the squad?
Walsh: She's fully committed to do whatever she can in the team, she believes in herself and backs herself, which is very, very good. And she's not afraid of her teammates as well. So she has come back in a lot hungrier after the injury and what I've seen - I mean she's a dream [inaudible] performance, because she can set the game up for you from the get go. And if she performed the way that she can, see help us win more games than we lose.
Reporter: The follow up question to that is what qualities in her have you been most impressed with? And have any of those reminded you of any other cricketer you’ve watch play or played against?
Walsh: She had to believe in herself. She believed that she could win the game even when it's almost impossible. She backs herself. She's a very confident individual within herself and even if she has a bad game, she doesn't show it, but she backs herself all the time and – similar to Viv Richards or something is in the dressing room, but she’s always going to give you 100% And that's all you can ask for and she reminded me of him as a player.
Reporter: Another question is you mentioned in your CWI zoom interaction you had two days ago, but you weren't too concerned with the captain's backing, because it just takes one game to click over. It's been three games where she hasn't really clicked as you would have liked to with the path. Any concern going against Australia tomorrow?
Walsh: No mega concern. Obviously you want your captain to be able to get runs to be confident and to lead from the front, many great players go through patches. I think she's just one inch away from getting things ticking again. I have ever confident in her that she will get runs for us on this tour and It will be great if it starts tomorrow. Tomorrow would be the perfect opportunity for her to come and get herself back into that groove. And, keep things sticking over. So I'm hopeful that that will happen. And as I said earlier, she is such a classic player that you know, the quicker she comes to the party, the better it is for the team.