The Prague Post - West Indies captain says he 'let the team down' in New Zealand Tests

New Zealand wrapped up the series victory with a 323-run win on the final day of the third Test at Mount Maunganui, after an earlier draw in Christchurch and a win in Wellington.

Chase took over the captaincy in March, his team registering seven losses and a draw in his eight matches in charge.

He was a dejected figure at Bay Oval at the end of the fifth day, looking down on the field as Black Caps players celebrated their victory with their families.

His pain was as much about the team failing to get a win in New Zealand as it was his own role in it.

"I had a tough series, very below par for my standards, and I didn't really lead from the front on the field," Chase said

"Leading in terms of words and encouraging and inspiring the team, that was all good and well, but in terms of going out there and producing for the team and letting the team have someone to look up to as a leader, I thought that I let myself down and the team down as well."

Chase scored just 42 runs across six innings in the series, an average of seven. It was the second-lowest output in Test history for a captain dismissed six times in a series.

With the ball, the offspinner took three wickets at an average of 119, although only the Bay Oval wicket offered any assistance to spinners.

Chase said he wants to be a captain who affects performance on and off the field, but it hadn't happened.

"I want to go out there and show them that I'm not just talking it, I'm doing it as well and I'm giving my all for the team," Chase said.

"So, yeah, I was a bit disappointed with my efforts.

"I thought I got some good balls in the series, but it's test cricket, I still thought that I could have given more."

Chase said he is working hard to correct some of his batting deficiencies shown up in New Zealand.

That's an issue that the wider squad will have to consider, too, given their issues in scoring competitive totals in the first innings of matches.

But there were positives.

"I thought the bowlers gave a good effort and they never stopped trying," Chase said.

"Before the series started, the goal for the batters was to at least get one hundred in every game, and we got three hundreds over the three-game period, so we were very happy with that.

"It's something that we've not been able to do in the recent past, getting hundreds."

Now it's about putting it all together for the West Indies.

Star allrounder Justin Greaves, who made a double hundred to save the first Test in Christchurch, said Friday he believed the glory days could return to the West Indies.

T.Musil--TPP