West Indies bowling coach Ravi Rampaul has voiced concerns regarding the performance of his team’s quick bowlers during the second Test against Pakistan at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain. Following the conclusion of the second day's play, which saw Pakistan reach 266 for 2 and narrow the deficit to 78 runs, Rampaul identified a lack of consistency as a primary challenge for the home side.
Rampaul observed that the pitch, where the West Indies were previously bowled out for 344 after electing to bat, had become flatter and more favorable for batting by the second day. While he noted that the surface still offered some assistance to the spinners, he emphasized that the faster bowlers struggled to maintain pressure. Pakistan capitalized on this, scoring at a run rate of 4.03 over 66 overs, which notably outpaced the 3.25 run rate West Indies achieved in their first innings.
"When we started with the ball, it wasn't as consistent as possible, and when we came back again, trying to pull back that run rate, you saw how hard it was on that track," Rampaul stated. He urged his fast bowlers to focus on drying up runs to create opportunities for the spinners. "Basically our faster bowlers need to be a little more consistent, try to dry up the runs, and let our spinners come into play," he added.
The coach also praised the batting display of Abdullah Shafique and Babar Azam, who built an unbroken 168-run partnership. Rampaul credited the duo for defending well against quality deliveries, capitalizing on loose balls, and maintaining high energy between the wickets, which prevented the West Indies bowlers from settling into a rhythm.
Looking ahead, Rampaul, who has extensive experience playing at the Queen's Park Oval, expressed hope that the pitch conditions would deteriorate further as the match progresses. He remains optimistic that this change will provide increased assistance for the slower bowlers to secure vital wickets.
"Definitely our consistency as a bowling group needs to be better," Rampaul said. "In these conditions, when nothing is happening with the pitch or even with the ball, consistency helps bring wickets.
"Based on what I saw yesterday, I think it had gotten a little better for batting today. On past experience, it should get a little more deterioration to help the slower bowlers a little bit more. Hopefully. I'm hoping that happens so that our spinners can get more purchase from the conditions."
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