I didn’t expect things to continue going upward the whole time. We were always going to have a few setbacks along the way. Particularly, as this year we have three overseas tours. There are always going to be some tough moments in that period. This has been a setback, it’s been a disappointment, on the one hand. But in some ways, it might be a blessing in disguise, it has pointed out a few things. We have learnt a few things about conditions in the West Indies, which hopefully will help us next year.

• Have you identified your pool of players for the World Cup?

We have got a pool of around 20 players who have played in the past six to eight months. I think the squad will come out of that group, but I can’t tell you which 14 it is likely to be. That decision will be made as late as possible. A lot of things can change, form, fitness, one of those things can change the team’s needs between now and then.

• When the team loses, there is always this criticism that we need to look back at some of the seniors who are not there.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but we are looking at developing a team for the present and the future. To develop players, you have to give them opportunities. And you have to give them opportunities in the heat of battle. A number of players have been blooded in the last few months and I think most of them have responded reasonably well, most of them have had some success.

... contd.