Gibson wants more help for quicks in Barbados

Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach, wants more help for his fast bowlers from the Bridgetown pitch in the decisive third Test against New Zealand compared to what they got in Kingston and Port-of-Spain. The new-ball pair of Jerome Taylor and Kemar Roach bowled 85 and 86 overs respectively in the first two Tests, and while that brought them a combined 17 wickets, Gibson would like see their toil backed by a more responsive surface.

"We will have a look at the pitch and see what it holds. Kensington always has a little bit in it for the bowlers as well," Gibson was quoted as saying by CMC. "Trinidad was a very un-Trinidad like pitch; it was a good pitch for batting and the bowlers had to work hard. It was probably one of the best pitches I've seen in Trinidad for a long time. I thought the bowlers bowled well in Jamaica and we backed it up in Trinidad on a pitch where we had to work really hard."

West Indies lost the first Test by 186 runs before winning the second by 10 wickets. They dismissed New Zealand in 74.4 overs in the first innings in Port-of-Spain but ran into stiff resistance from the visitors in the second, which stretched for 152.2 overs till lunch on the final day.

Earlier in the series, left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn had said that West Indies were not in favour of "flat" pitches such as the one for the first Test in Jamaica, where New Zealand racked up 508 for 7 declared in the first innings. While Benn had asked for a "proper" Test pitch that had something in it for bowlers as well as batsmen, Gibson wanted a "good" track for the third Test.

"Hopefully we'll get a very good surface in Barbados, one that helps our quick bowlers a little bit more than maybe Trinidad and Jamaica. Our fast bowlers are bowling fantastically well so hopefully we get a pitch that gives them a little bit of support and they can continue to bowl the way they have been bowling and bowl us to a series win."