As they smugly soaked up England’s demolition of West Indies batting in the cold and damp of Edgbaston last week, television commentators and former England captains Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton shared a thought or two about the plight of the visitors.

What’s to be done about this “young side” to get them to improve, Hussain wanted to know.

Atherton hemmed and hawed for a few moments before delivering wisdom to the effect that they “have to keep working… blood, sweat and tears …”

Condescension aside, that’s actually good advice. West Indies Captain Jason Holder and his men must work very hard to restore self-respect following their humiliation in the first Test. They must work not just in the physical sense but, most importantly, mentally, to rid themselves of destructive negativity.

To begin with, they must heed the words of Holder himself. The West Indies team must not let their heads drop. They must lift their heads and believe that they can compete with and even beat England, even in hostile, alien conditions. And even after the disaster that was Edgbaston.

They have to recognise that they played very poor cricket in that first Test. They played poorly not just in the technical sense of batting, bowling and fielding, but their mental approach seemed all wrong.

That said, they must not believe or accept the trash talk. They are not, and must not allow themselves to become hopeless, hapless losers.

Perhaps there are a few now playing CPL cricket who could have made the West Indies Test side stronger. But their absence is no fault of the young men now on tour of England.

They have to recognise and believe in their own abilities; that they are far, far better than they showed in that first Test. And they must prepare themselves to execute properly in the second Test starting Friday at Leeds, and for the third Test at Lord’s in September.

Holder and his men need to remember that though they are young and inexperienced and are yet to win a Test series, they have actually tasted success.

Inspiration should come from their memories of beating Pakistan in Barbados in May. Pakistan, ranked number one Test team in the world just a year ago, ended up winning that series 2-1, but the cricketing world had expected a 3-0 sweep of the West Indies. They must remember that against all odds it was a West Indian, Roston Chase, who topped the batting for both sides, 403 runs with two centuries for an average of 100.75.

Holder and his men must not forget victory over Pakistan at Sharjah last November with Kraigg Brathwaite magnificently carrying his bat in both innings. That series also ended 2-1 in favour of Pakistan when the confident prediction had been for a 3-0 sweep.

They must remember their proud back-to-the-wall fight on the last day of the Sabina Test against powerful India last year to ensure a draw. There was no talk then of a West Indies team lacking gumption and spine.

They should look to the example of Jermaine Blackwood in the first innings of the Edgbaston Test. Dropped for the Pakistan tour of the Caribbean in April and May, Blackwood could have come back tame and constrained in what was his first Test on English soil. Instead, steadfastly true to his nature, he looked the enemy in the eye and fought to the death.

Hopefully, lead fast bowler Shannon Gabriel will be back and in good nick for the second Test. But with or without Gabriel, Holder and his men, even in the habitual chill of northern England, must demand respect.