Benjamin: Hurricanes have lost confidence

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Coach of the Leeward Islands Hurricanes, Winston Benjamin, has hinted at possible changes ahead of the sub-regional team’s round 8 clash against T&T Red Force slated for 4-7 January in Trinidad as they seek to turn the team’s fortune around. The 4 Day tournament is set to resume next Thursday following a Christmas break but the Hurricanes have failed to build on what was a reasonably tidy start, winning their opening match against Barbados.
According to the former West Indies fast bowler, the time for action is now. “Two things have got to happen at this moment, we got to make changes or continue to try and talk these guys into believing in themselves and backing themselves a little bit more. We have spoken to them extensively and as I said there are some signs of improvement.
The selectors are meeting as I speak to you, to decide the next step forward,” he said. Hurricanes went on to lose three and draw three of their seven matches to date. Winston, a former Antiguan cricketer, said the players have seemingly lost the drive to carry on. “For some reason I don’t know but the players seem to have lost a bit of self-confidence and I don’t know why because we had a reasonably good start but I guess a number of those guys are looking at their averages and they’re scared to go execute,” he said.
“Everybody can tell you what their average is so you don’t need a rocket scientist to tell you that they’re paying attention to it so what happens now is that, if my average is okay then that’s fine,” he added. The players, Benjamin suspects, have been “watching their averages” in hopes of impressing regional selectors. “I think they are starting to understand that your average does not speak true to your performance at some point because if you play one or two games and you have a good [average] then what happens when you play six or seven.
So far we have been pretty unlucky and at the same time, I am going to say that we are a bit tentative in our approach for some reason that I really don’t know,” he said. The team’s eighth round clash against the Red Force, Hurricanes will take on Jamaica Scorpions from 11-14 January at Sabina Park.

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