WI must move on from Australia debacle - Gibson

Ottis Gibson, the newly-appointed West Indies coach, has emphasised the need to move on from the winless debacle in Australia to prepare for success against Zimbabwe. West Indies were beaten 2-0 in the Tests, 4-0 in the ODIs and 2-0 in the Twenty20s during the tour of Australia, and Gibson, who took over from interim coach David Williams, warned against complacency against one of the minnows of international cricket.

"It has been a difficult tour for them in Australia, we all recognise that. As far as the mental work that needs to be done, I think first of all we need to put to bed what happened in Australia and focus on the series against Zimbabwe, which is going to be a challenge for us, and spend time planning and preparing for that," Gibson told reporters in Trinidad.

"If we focus on the negatives all the time it can sometimes lead to a negative mindset. What we've got to try and do is look ahead to what we have coming up and plan and prepare very well for that. If we can do that we will take steps towards going into the series and looking to win it."

Zimbabwe have played 27 ODIs since the start of 2009, winning 13 and losing 14 but they've taken on teams other than Kenya and Bangladesh just thrice. Still, Gibson said, West Indies could not afford to let down their guard. "If we take Zimbabwe for granted what happened in Australia could easily continue. We have to get together as a group and outline what needs to be done and what are the key challenges we face and how I want to see how things shaping."

Since 2004, West Indies have had six different coaches before Gibson's appointment, starting with Roger Harper, Gus Logie, Bennett King, David Moore, John Dyson - who was sacked after defeats against Bangladesh - and David Williams. Gibson didn't wish to talk about failures under previous coaches, but added that the overall development of a cricketer would be his focus. "I don't know what went on before, I haven't been there," Gibson said. "What I do know is that in the make-up of a cricketer you have technical aspects, the tactical aspects, the physical attributes, the mental aspects and (the need to) cope with the demands of international sport. All those are key areas I am concerned about."

Gibson, who was formerly England's bowling coach, said the leadership of Clive Lloyd during West Indies' heydays in the 1970s and 1980s was something the current generation of cricketers should seek to emulate. "Everybody keeps taking us back to the glory days. What I like about those years was that Clive Lloyd was able to get the team to play for one common cause. We can identify a brand of cricket we want to represent as a team. And when people come into the stands and watch us, they can see this is what we're trying to do."

Gibson also spoke of the different levels of professionalism in England, where he had considerable experience playing county cricket, and West Indies, and said the transformation would require improvement in certain basic areas which he hoped to address. "In England the environment is very professional. England has a lot of financial resources that they can call on to get things done. The West Indies Cricket Board is not in the same position and we have to accept that but there are basic things that we can do to try and start and those are the things I will be focusing on."