This newspaper and all supporters of West Indies cricket are pleased at news that the New Zealand Cricket Board and Cricket West Indies are discussing plans for the Caribbean team to tour New Zealand later this year.

We hear that the COVID-19 biosecure template established in England for the recent West Indies tour of that country, as well as the current England home series against Pakistan, will be utilised to protect players, support staff, officials, et al.

That pattern, we note, is being followed by the Twenty20 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) which begins in Trinidad on Tuesday.

New Zealand is particularly well-placed to host international cricket because of that country’s success so far in containing spread of the novel coronavirus. Hopefully, that success will be sustained.

We feel sure that, at bottom line, the authorities in the Caribbean and New Zealand will seek to ensure safety, beyond all other considerations.

We expect West Indies cricketers will be keen to improve on the performances of two years ago in New Zealand when the home side easily won in all formats.

In that respect, West Indies players should contemplate advice from director of cricket Mr James Adams on the need to seize critical moments.

Mr Adams pointed to the recent tour of England when West Indies shocked their hosts to win the first Test then lost their way to lose the next two Tests and the series. He argued that the series defeat could be traced to failure to seize the initiative at “a critical point” in the second Test.

Everything went downhill after West Indies lost six wickets for 45 runs in the first innings of that second Test, he suggested.

“Your value as a player is a lot of times dictated by your ability not just to fight to a critical point but to win it, to conquer it, and to move on from there, so I’m hoping there would have been lessons learnt for the group that was there (in England),” said Mr Adams.

We agree, even while we note that the West Indies batting was recognised, long before the trip to England, as likely to be the weakest element in the team’s make up. So it proved.

Also, we know that for every sports team — but especially when there are glaring weaknesses — coaches and support staff have critical roles to play. This is so, not only by way of physical, technical and psychological support for players but also in collaborating with the captain in tactical decision-making, such as team selections, how to use the luck of the coin toss, and so forth.

Cricket followers know that such decisions often have lasting consequences.

There can be no doubt that decision-makers made serious errors at crucial times with disastrous consequences for the West Indies on the recent tour of England.

It’s not enough for Mr Adams to be critical of his players. He should also ask hard, critical questions of his coaching staff led by Mr Phil Simmons.

Given Cricket West Indies’ stated commitment to accountability and transparency, answers should be shared with long-suffering supporters.