Opportunities are begging before next World Cup – Estwick

West Indies assistant coach Roddy Estwick, who has special responsibilities to prepare the bowlers on the tour of New Zealand, says opportunities are begging for some of the young bowlers in the squad, with next year's T20 World Cup on the horizon.

With veteran bowler Dwayne Bravo pulling out of the tour due to an injury picked up in the IPL, Estwick believes players the likes of Jamaican fast bowler Oshane Thomas, Kesrick Williams and Romario Shepherd can grab the opportunity and stake a claim for a permanent spot in the West Indies T20 set-up with one eye on the World Cup next November.

"People who are given the opportunity, like Romario Shepherd, it's time for them to stake a claim before the next World Cup. So, for me, it's all about opportunities which should never be missed. If Dwayne (Bravo) is not here, it gives people like Kesrick Williams the chance to grab the opportunity and give selectors a headache,"said Estwick.

Perfect foil for the bowlers

The Barbadian coach elaborated that the current tour of New Zealand is the perfect foil for the bowlers who can learn from playing in different conditions, which will better prepare them for other overseas assignments.

Estwick expects his seam attack to do the brunt of the damage during the T20 and Test series; however, he is hoping that his charges can adapt to a lot of patience, which will be critical in the outcome of the series.

"The wickets in New Zealand are not really spin-friendly so the spinners may have to play a containing role while the fast bowlers will have to be aggressive and try to be the chief wicket-takers.

"One of the things we have to do is assess the pitches as early as possible. The pitches will give you the information. If you assess the pitch early, you will

know what length and line to bowl, and then you can work out the strength and weakness of the batsman you are bowling at," added Estwick.

Estwick and the rest of the West Indies team are currently quarantined at NZC's High-Performance Centre at Lincoln University, on the outskirts of Christchurch.