Williams keeps faith in faltering squad

The coach David Williams is hoping the West Indians have blown out the rust and that the only way is up after three torrid days against Queensland. Their attack, which is missing the resting Jerome Taylor, was thrashed by the locals as they piled up 7 for 617 before the declaration, but the under-pressure tourists were boosted by their batsmen reaching 1 for 133 at stumps.

Travis Dowlin and Adrian Barath both picked up useful half-centuries, although they still need 213 to make the Bulls bat again. "It was a tough two days in the field, but at the end of the day we have to expect these things and it was good to see these guys stick to the things we talked about," Williams said. "It's a good start in the second innings and we will look to capitalise on that."

The West Indians' troubles started when they were dismissed for 271 on a good batting surface and only Kemar Roach's athletic performance of 3 for 135 stood out when they bowled. Fielding was also an issue with a handful of catches going down to increase their frustration.

"It's been our problem," Williams said. "We need to hold on to our crucial catches, so we hope to eradicate that as soon as possible and hopefully we go into the Test match with more confidence. The players have a fair idea where they went wrong and what they need to do, and it's not about bashing anybody. But we set ourselves high standards and we want to try and maintain them as we go along."

Nathan Reardon was the main obstacle for the West Indians as he powered to 147, his first century for Queensland, and showed his state he could be a regular option in the Sheffield Shield side. Reardon, who hit seven sixes, has been seen mostly as a limited-overs player and is keen to add to his two first-class matches.

"It's good to finally get a go in the four-day arena and I was nervous coming into the game with people questioning whether I could play at the four-day level or not, so it was good to get some runs on the board," he said. "It was good to get a few in the middle and a few over the ropes - the further they go the better they look."