Four of Six Territorial Visits Completed by Newly Appointed Batting Consultant Bob Carter
ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Individualised batting plans for players and hands-on development for coaches are two of the lasting outcomes of Cricket West Indies’ (CWI) ongoing High-Performance Batting Tour, which will reach approximately 60 emerging batters and dozens of territorial coaches across the region.
Currently wrapping up in Jamaica (October 17–20), the tour, which began on September 24, has completed four of its six territorial visits – the Windward Islands, Barbados, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago – before ending with the Leeward Islands leg in Antigua from October 23–26.
Across the first four legs, 45 of the region’s emerging batters have been assessed, while 44 territorial coaches, including franchise coaches, CWI Pathway coaches, and club, school and youth coaches, have worked alongside Carter and CWI High-Performance Coach Rohan Nurse.
Each four-day visit combines technical assessment, individual coaching, skill development, live application and coach education. A key focus is improving players’ ability to perform against both pace and spin, while establishing a clearer understanding of their individual requirements and areas for improvement.
Feedback thus far has been consistent, with players and coaches identifying the intensity, volume and standards of the sessions as the stand-out feature. Several of them praised the “specific and intentional” structure of the programme and expressed their appreciation of Carter’s approach to “making tweaks for improvement” rather than trying to completely change a player’s game.
Reflecting on the programme’s progress, Carter said:
“The tour has been very successful so far, thanks to a clearly defined programme for each visit, which has allowed us to see where the players are and their natural skills. I had a pretty good understanding and appreciation of what to expect, having been part of a camp in St Lucia a few months ago. The standard across the territories has been very good, and I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen.”
On his approach of refining rather than overhauling a player’s game, Carter added:
“No one likes change, but people don’t mind tweaking something. My approach is to identify the one per cent improvement that could make all the difference to a player’s performance and output. It has also helped that the players and coaches have been inquisitive and eager to learn and try new things.”
Coaches in each territory pointed to the clarity of Carter’s messaging and his insistence on executing the fundamentals at a high intensity. One coach in Barbados noted that Carter “was really good at underscoring simplicity and holding players to a high standard”, while a coach in Guyana observed: “The game doesn’t change. The fundamentals don’t change. How you execute that is how you will become successful or remain successful.”
The camps are also building coaching capacity in each territory, with local coaches progressing from observing on the first day to coaching actively by the second and third days. Players have indicated they would be comfortable turning to these coaches for support after the camps.
Cleton Burnett, CWI Pathway Coach in St Vincent and the Grenadines, said:
“A lot of the things he spoke about is not necessarily new knowledge of information in terms of technique, but the methods, and how we go about assisting players, not necessarily changing them but, as he would say very often, tweaking.”
Sam Kirnon from Dominica said:
“What we did over the last three and a half days is exactly what I think the franchise needs to do on a weekly basis, and drawing closer to a tournament, up that intensity a little bit more.”
Players also offered their perspectives on the coaching received and its relevance to their individual development.
Barbadian and West Indies under-19 top-order batsman, Zachary Carter said:
“The intensity and standards of the sessions were higher than what I’m used to in my regular training. They were more structured and challenging, with a strong focus on technique, decision-making, and my bat swing.”
St. Lucia and Windward Islands all-rounder, Shadrack Descarte said:
“I came away confident that I have what it takes to perform well and adapt to any playing conditions. It simply requires a dedicated approach to how we train, and by being consistent in playing or practicing quality shots along with high intensity in the nets, which will then show results in the game.”
The tour reflects CWI’s approach to directing its resources towards programmes with the potential to make a meaningful and lasting contribution to player development and performance. By investing in technical expertise, individualised coaching and the development of regional coaching capacity, CWI aims to strengthen the foundations required to improve the quality of play and support greater success by West Indies teams over the long term.
Players and coaches in each territory have already called for longer and more frequent camps, more one-to-one and video work, and wider reach to younger age groups and female players.
Carter, however, encouraged the territories to build on the foundation already laid:
“They don’t have to rely on CWI all the time. There are some excellent coaches in the region, and they have now seen what a four-day programme looks like. We’ve given them a template, so all they need to do now is replicate that approach, combine it with their own expertise, which is of a high standard, and carry on the work they have already been doing.”
