Reifer confident West Indies will rediscover batting form in Barbados

Despite two consecutive batting collapses that have handed New Zealand the upper hand in the five-match One-Day International (ODI) series, West Indies batting coach Floyd Reifer remains convinced his players are poised to respond when the action shifts to Barbados.

After opening the series with a victory, the West Indies have stumbled in back-to-back matches at Providence Stadium, where they were dismissed for just 138 and 140 after being sent in to bat first. New Zealand capitalized on both opportunities, securing a six-wicket victory on Thursday to seize a 2-1 series advantage.

Yet Reifer believes the disappointing returns in Guyana are more a reflection of demanding playing conditions than an indication of a batting unit in decline.

Coach acknowledges missed opportunity

Addressing reporters after Thursday's defeat, Reifer admitted the regional side failed to produce the standard expected of its batting lineup, even while recognizing the challenges posed by the Providence surface.

"Obviously the last two games we didn't bat to the best of our ability, but the conditions were very challenging. Batting first in Guyana the toss is a major factor where we know the ball will spin, the pitch is slow and stuff like that, then on evenings you have the dew factor which is easier to bat.

"However, saying that, I still thought that we could have put up a better batting performance. If we had gotten anything past 200 or 210 runs, we would have made a game of it, but there is no excuse really for the batting performance that we displayed over the last couple of games," Reifer admitted.

Spinners continue to trouble Windies

For the second straight match, the West Indies struggled to counter New Zealand's spin attack, spearheaded by Jayden Lennox, whose disciplined bowling once again exposed the hosts' vulnerabilities on a slow, turning surface.

Unable to establish meaningful partnerships, the home side surrendered the momentum after its opening-game triumph, leaving itself with little margin for error heading into the final two matches of the series.

Faith in a proven batting unit

While acknowledging the recent setbacks, Reifer pointed to the team's body of work over the past 18 months as evidence that the current struggles are an exception rather than the norm.

The batting coach stressed that the West Indies have consistently produced strong performances in the 50-over format, particularly on home soil, and insisted there is no loss of confidence within the dressing room.

"If you look back at the games that we played in the past year and a half we've been batting really well in this format… We have two more games left in the series and two bad batting performances don't make a bad batting side.

"I'm still confident in the guys, the guys are still confident that when we get to Barbados, we will put up some good batting performances," Reifer said.

Opportunity for redemption at Kensington Oval

The series now heads to Kensington Oval in Barbados, where the West Indies will look to reset their campaign and level the contest against a New Zealand side that has capitalized brilliantly on favorable conditions in Guyana.

For Reifer and his batters, the change in venue offers more than a fresh pitch, it presents a chance to reaffirm the batting quality they have displayed over the past year and a half and reignite their pursuit of a series victory.