What's new

How underrated is Kemar Roach?

H

Haz95

T20I Debutant
Joined
Jan 26, 2014
Runs
7,732
Just watching a video of him...He was swinging the ball at 145kph+ and he generally regularly bowled at that pace. He was troubling Pak in the ODI series we had too
He's a very good bowler and has struggled top class line ups like Aus at their best with punter but no one ever mentions him. I reckon if he played for Aus or Pak...everyone would be hyping him. Even his stats are pretty good in both tests and odis...I think he's a terribly underrated bowler and its weird how he's struggling to find a place in the West Indies XI considering they have Tino Best
What do you think of him?
 
Last edited:
Quite a fierce bowler IMO. Hasn't been lauded much due to WI's rich history of pacers. Potential is there though. I quite liked Rampaul as well, he could swing the bowl well.
 
The reason he isn't hyped that much is becuase windies don't play many tests and when they do they don't win many and he gets injured a lot thats why he doesn't play as many games.
 
I think he's the nearest to their rich history of pacers...Bravo thinks Holder is, hmm..
 
He does not play consistently enough to be rated as high as he should be.
 
Been recalled :D :D :D...Really expect to see him do well and he's being partnered with Taylor who's apparently a decent new ball bowler. Will now watch the NZ series cos of Roach :holding
Like pretty much every good looking pacer, Cummins, Irfan, Harris, Bird, Pattinson Roach- all prone to injuries
 
Last edited:
Miles better than any of our current pacers.
 
Mamoon said:
Miles better than any of our current pacers.
Click to expand...
Miles better than pretty much all pacers barring the Aussies and Saffers. Only think Harris, Johnson, Steyn and Philander are superior...On par with clouderson as of now(but has much more potential)
 
Last edited:
He can be as good as Harris no doubt. Unfortunately WI don't play Tests at all and hence his growth has been stunted.
 
Mamoon said:
He can be as good as Harris no doubt. Unfortunately WI don't play Tests at all and hence his growth has been stunted.
Click to expand...
And world cricket is poorer for that- The way he troubled the Aussies(a strong one too) is very entertaining and shows he's very good. He definitely has the most potential of a West Indian pace bowler since Courtney Walsh. I Also like Holder, he bowls similar Curtly Ambrose. Roach's ferocity is awesome :mj
Fidel is a mercenary sadly
 
Holder is a bit too soft for my liking. He doesn't have the fire of Roach. :akhtar
 
Mamoon said:
Holder is a bit too soft for my liking. He doesn't have the fire of Roach. :akhtar
Click to expand...
true...Was just watching Roach bowl hostile deliveries to Kallis- bouncers which were whacking Jacques in the face and then Roach went up in to face indicating his aggression. He also made Ponting his bunny too...Really wanna see this guy prosper and be hyped like we hype or English hype pacers.
He's near complete...moves the ball, can bowl 145 regularly, can crank it to 150kph, can take wickets regardless of conditions. Beast bowler :holding
 
I loved watching Roach and Edwards ruffle up batsmen the world over. Too bad they both continuously get sidelined with injuries, otherwise they'd have been the best fast bowling combination going around, barring probably the current version of Mitch and Harris.

Not a tall lad, has to put a lot of back and shoulder into that action to get the pace and bounce he does, which has resulted in his injuries.
 
Saqs said:
I loved watching Roach and Edwards ruffle up batsmen the world over. Too bad they both continuously get sidelined with injuries, otherwise they'd have been the best fast bowling combination going around, barring probably the current version of Mitch and Harris.

Not a tall lad, has to put a lot of back and shoulder into that action to get the pace and bounce he does, which has resulted in his injuries.
Click to expand...
did they ever bowl together? Roach/Rampaul, Roach/Edwards, Roach/Taylor...All of these new ball pairs apparently had a lot of potential. Notice how Roach is in them all. Just imagine if he'd of had 1 to 1 session with someone like Holding...The thing is, he doesn't require conditions(neither does Harris actually).
 
Roach is miles ahead of Edwards, Fidel is overrated due to his pace and the fact that he had a couple of memorable matches, he has a test record worse than that of Ishant Sharma... Roach can't be compared to Harris who is only second to Steyn in this generation of fast bowlers, even though Roach is significantly quicker and more exciting to watch.
 
Last edited:
Haz95 said:
Been recalled :D :D :D...Really expect to see him do well and he's being partnered with Taylor who's apparently a decent new ball bowler. Will now watch the NZ series cos of Roach :holding
Like pretty much every good looking pacer, Cummins, Irfan, Harris, Bird, Pattinson Roach- all prone to injuries
Click to expand...

Are you sure about that?
 
vandokkum said:
Are you sure about that?
Click to expand...
Er yea, Mo Irfan, Ryan Harris and James Pattinson all are good bowlers but they're all injury prone, whats your point here? And Roach can do everything Harris can do too but its only cos of being in the West Indies team he's not as recognised...145ks regular, can hit 150, can move the ball, can take the pitch out of the equation..what more is required? He's troubled the best of the best which is why I would rival him with Harris. Agreed about Edwards, I personally didn't watch him much but Saqs is a reliable poster so I just went by his word- he record is abysmal to be honest.
 
Haz95 said:
Er yea, Mo Irfan, Ryan Harris and James Pattinson all are good bowlers but they're all injury prone, whats your point here? And Roach can do everything Harris can do too but its only cos of being in the West Indies team he's not as recognised...145ks regular, can hit 150, can move the ball, can take the pitch out of the equation..what more is required? He's troubled the best of the best which is why I would rival him with Harris. Agreed about Edwards, I personally didn't watch him much but Saqs is a reliable poster so I just went by his word- he record is abysmal to be honest.
Click to expand...

I was joking... see the bolded part.
 
Haz95 said:
did they ever bowl together? Roach/Rampaul, Roach/Edwards, Roach/Taylor...All of these new ball pairs apparently had a lot of potential. Notice how Roach is in them all. Just imagine if he'd of had 1 to 1 session with someone like Holding...The thing is, he doesn't require conditions(neither does Harris actually).
Click to expand...

Yeah I've seen a couple of tests in which they bowled together and the first change was Tino. So it was a barrage of pace. Got the blood racing.

Rampaul and Taylor didn't really crank it up as much
 
vandokkum said:
I was joking... see the bolded part.
Click to expand...
oh, er ha...haha, great banter, the joke there was definitely clear as glass lol ;-).
Saqs said:
Yeah I've seen a couple of tests in which they bowled together and the first change was Tino. So it was a barrage of pace. Got the blood racing.

Rampaul and Taylor didn't really crank it up as much
Click to expand...
Man the thing with the West Indies is that the talent is definitely there, sadly the interest isn't...A full throttle Windies team with players like Gayle actually interested, I would pay to watch.
Rampaul and Taylor moved the ball more than just pure pace...This is why I like Roach so much, he can move and he's got pace.
 
Roach roughed up India in the 2011 test series iirc.. don't know what happened to him... WICB is probably the worst at managing cricketers
 
vandokkum said:
Roach roughed up India in the 2011 test series iirc.. don't know what happened to him... WICB is probably the worst at managing cricketers
Click to expand...
he roughed up Australia too...think he took a 10fer versus them and made :ponting his bunny. Not just underrated, criminally underrated. West Indian players either get overly overrated like Gayle or Narine or get overly underrated like Darren Bravo or Roach.
 
Haz95 said:
he roughed up Australia too...think he took a 10fer versus them and made :ponting his bunny. Not just underrated, criminally underrated. West Indian players either get overly overrated like Gayle or Narine or get overly underrated like Darren Bravo or Roach.
Click to expand...

Bravo is over rated if anything due to the similarities with Lara.

Feel for the guy. It must be a curse.
 
Saqs said:
Bravo is over rated if anything due to the similarities with Lara.

Feel for the guy. It must be a curse.
Click to expand...
As a batsman he isn't. His double vs NZ was a pretty good inning and it didn't really gain the recognition it deserves. So do you think that hack Kusal Perera is overrated too since he is meant to be a Jayasuriya 2.0?
 
Haz95 said:
As a batsman he isn't. His double vs NZ was a pretty good inning and it didn't really gain the recognition it deserves. So do you think that hack Kusal Perera is overrated too since he is meant to be a Jayasuriya 2.0?
Click to expand...

All youngsters who get compared to stars are over rated until they achieve a fraction of what the star players have.
 
Roach has pace as well as control. Best has just pace, Roach has good potential , can trouble best in business.
 
Gem bowler but unlucky to get most of his matches on slow West Indian wickets. Exciting to watch and would surely love to have him in Pakistani colours.
 
Should retire from Tests and become a beast in Limited Overs Cricket!
 
alberto said:
Should retire from Tests and become a beast in Limited Overs Cricket!
Click to expand...
really? He's a great Test bowler and I think he should prosper in that format. Its been way to long since the West Indies have had a good pacer :holding
 
Pak WI NZ SL test prospects are hard to measure.

Lack of tests and huge spans of months in between the few tests there already are.

Shame really how test cricket for these areas has died due to mismanagement, commercialism, politics, etc.
 
Beast is averaging 26 now and has broken into the top 10 apparently
I have always rated him as nothing less than a quality bowler. And if anyone thinks he minnow bashes, just remember he has a 10fer vs Australia :ponting
 
Haz95 said:
Beast is averaging 26 now and has broken into the top 10 apparently
I have always rated him as nothing less than a quality bowler. And if anyone thinks he minnow bashes, just remember he has a 10fer vs Australia :ponting
Click to expand...

His pace has dropped with the injuries taking toll. He was a quality bowler though.
 
Has regressed but still wipes the floor with every Pakistani pacer today.
 
^Is it really hard for you to praise another country's player without needlessly criticising your own? Surely that can't be so hard.
 
Saqs said:
^Is it really hard for you to praise another country's player without needlessly criticising your own? Surely that can't be so hard.
Click to expand...
lol agreed. Even earlier on in this thread he did that :))
 
Problem for him was major lack of support in the WI attack led to him being bowled into the ground all day- mostly because their attack contained the complete dud Sammy.

He had to drop pace just to survive the workload. He'd still be quick if WI used him properly.

Good bowler though. He roughed Ponting up several times in a series years ago as a rookie on tour in Oz tests, it was really good to watch.
 
wrongun said:
Problem for him was major lack of support in the WI attack led to him being bowled into the ground all day- mostly because their attack contained the complete dud Sammy.

He had to drop pace just to survive the workload. He'd still be quick if WI used him properly.

Good bowler though. He roughed Ponting up several times in a series years ago as a rookie on tour in Oz tests, it was really good to watch.
Click to expand...

Ponting being roughed up by roach, Ponting had a injured Elbow at the time.


41.1 Roach to Ponting, no run, jumps back and across and defends to mid on, he looks in real bother here

41.2 Roach to Ponting, FOUR, Spoke too soon as he gets inside of one and plays it to long leg - don't underestimate a wounded champion

41.3 Roach to Ponting, SIX, short and he takes him on hooking it into the crowd at long leg, right where Doug Walters hit Bob Willis in 1974 to bring up his 100 in that memorable Ashes Test match!!

41.4 Roach to Ponting, no run, defends off the back foot to mid on, looking a bit uncomfortable

41.5 Roach to Ponting, FOUR, goes back a gets it away off his hip to long leg, 464 so far in this over - great viewing here - the young bull versus the old bull

41.6 Roach to Ponting, no run, leaves outside off, no need to wave at that one outside off
Click to expand...
 
Gilly said:
Ponting being roughed up by roach, Ponting had a injured Elbow at the time.
Click to expand...

That was amazing test match viewing. Reminded me a little of Waugh v Ambrose.

At the end of the day though, Roach will go down as being credited for spelling the end of one of the most prolific batsmen of all time.
 
100%

He is a superb bowler who gets very little recognition.

He averages 25 in test cricket and not many do in this era.
 
Saqs said:
^Is it really hard for you to praise another country's player without needlessly criticising your own? Surely that can't be so hard.
Click to expand...

Its very hard.Mentioning how crap Pakistan players are in every other thread is a must.
 
Wasn't even given the new ball. After his injury, his pace has dropped but he's still West Indies' best pacer.
 
Kemar Roach, the Windies pacer, who returned 5/17 to help dismantle England for 77 in the first Test, said he was "ready to go for the team" despite the hot and testing conditions in Barbados.

He dished out a special bowling performance in his home town, claiming five England scalps within just 27 deliveries.

"I've felt better in the past, but today the ball came out of my hand pretty well," said Roach after the game on Thursday, 24 January. "I was pretty happy with how I felt. Eight overs on the trot was a bit tough, [it] was pretty hot, but I was ready to go for the team.

Today was my day, but second innings could be someone else's; the guys have been very, very disciplined
Kemar Roach

"I'm happy with my performance today, and to restrict the English to as low as possible and give ourselves a big lead. Proud of my achievement. I have been around for a while, and to be able to take my first fifer at home, is a special feeling.

"We had good plans. The guys out there hit the nail on the head. Today was my day, but second innings could be someone else's. The guys have been very, very disciplined."

The Windies were bowled out for 289 before they knocked over England for 77. Deciding against enforcing the follow-on, they went to stumps with 127 runs on the board for the loss of six wickets. The hosts now have a strong foothold in the game, and have built up a lead of 339 runs.

"A lead of 300 is good going into the third day," Roach pointed out. "But the pitch has toughened up a little bit for the batsmen, so we just need to put runs on the board. It's a bit jumpy, a bit uneven, some balls are keeping a bit low. I think the aim is just to make the batsmen play as much as possible.

"You can go fuller [on this pitch] and bring them forward, that's most important, and create some chances and put the batsmen under a lot of pressure. The aim is not to bat last on this pitch. It's a tough one, and 400 runs on the board is going to be tough for the English. Bowl in the right areas, that's the plan going forward."

Moeen Ali, meanwhile, was disappointed with England's returns with the bat, but credited the hosts for bowling "fantastically well with good pace". He believes England can still bounce back with a strong performance in the final innings.

“It was a disappointing day and there are always going to be a few guys who make mistakes,” Moeen said. “Even when 40-odd for four, we always think we have the batting and that someone will put their hand up. Today wasn’t the day. They bowled fantastically well with good pace and managed to get us out.

"You never expect these days but they do happen. It’s all about doing it again in the final innings.”

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/982474
 
Last edited:
He could have been a bowling great of this generation. Serious talent he had.
 
Very underrated. He's bowled beautifully since his return in 2017 on the England tour - averaging 22 from 15 Tests.

He's become more of a line and length bowler and is not the raw tearaway that we saw debut due to injuries. He was once seen as an example of wasted talent but now he is the leader of the Windies attack.
 
He has come a long way and seems to have get back into touch again. Roach, Gabriel and Alzarri, this is very good pace bowing attack.
 
How refined Kemar Roach has swapped pure speed for skill to torture tourists
Roach has proven himself to be the best quick in a generation for the Windies and is proving as effective as ever after bouncing back from 18 months away from Test side

The ball is short, and rising fast: almost as if it has gained speed off the Perth pitch. Ricky Ponting gets into position to play the pull, as we have all seen him do a thousand times: foot towards the ball, ready to rock back and heave it behind square. Only, about halfway into this process, he realises it’s not quite going to plan.

What was an elementary four runs is now a race for survival. The ball is reaching him much, much faster than he was expecting, and in the fraction of a fraction of a second before it arrives, Ponting manages to swivel his head out of the line of danger, but that’s about all he can do. Still rising, the ball thuds him in the left elbow.

The area of contact could scarcely be more agonisingly catastrophic. Ponting has been hit at the very point where the tendons are attached to the bone. Internal bleeding begins almost instantly. His arm muscles go into spasm and he can no longer hold his bat. He will later describe the moment as “unsettling”. After being seen by the team physio, he reluctantly walks from the field. Ponting is one of the most resilient men in the sport. He has played Ashes Tests with broken fingers. Now, for the first time in a 14-year Test career, he has retired hurt. The year is 2009, and the bowler is a 21-year-old tearaway called Kemar Roach.


A decade later, Roach is bowling against England at Antigua. He’s the only survivor from that West Indies team. He no longer brags about tipping 95mph on the speed gun. He no longer gets fined part of his match fee for bowling beamers. He no longer charges into the wicket with the crazed abandon of a young man who eats, drinks and breathes pace. What he does do, with increasing regularity and at rapidly decreasing cost, is take wickets.


He takes four more here, for just 30 runs, in 15 overs. Last week, in Barbados, he took 5-17 in 11 overs. Since returning to the West Indies side in the summer of 2017, he has taken 53 wickets at an average of 22 and moved into the top 10 West Indian Test wicket-takers of all time. The day he maimed Ponting in Perth, he took 2-104 off 22 overs. The Roach of 2019 may be a slower and less basically thrilling bowler than he was a decade ago, but there’s no question he’s a better one. Quietly, along the rails, Roach has evolved into one of the greats of 21st-century West Indies cricket.


And buried within Roach’s journey is a lesson in the feast and famine of professional sport, and how abruptly they can transmogrify into each other. Ponting, it’s said, was never quite the same player after being hit by Roach. Before it, he was averaging 55. After it, he averaged 37. Perhaps the decline had already begun to set in, but the “embarrassment” – his word – of being put in hospital by a 21-year-old kid alerted every fast bowler in world cricket that Ponting was now vulnerable to the short ball. But if Ponting was fundamentally changed as a player that day, then so – in a curious way – was Roach.



As 2014 dawned, Roach’s star was still in the ascendant. He averaged under 28 in Tests, his pace was still devastating, and though he had suffered an irritating shoulder injury in 2013, he had managed to get plenty of cricket under his belt. All that was about to change on a wet night in Barbados in 2014.

The roads north of Bridgetown are wide, winding and particularly treacherous in wet weather. Early one Saturday morning, Roach was motoring his BMW at his customary brisk pace when he lost control. It skidded off the road, flipped several times and landed in a park some distance away from where he was intending to park it, and without two of its wheels. Miraculously, he walked away with only a minor head injury. But perhaps the main legacy of his brush with death was psychological.


Roach was never quite the same bowler after the crash. He suffered an ankle injury on the tour of South Africa later that year. He had a dismal series against England in 2015. Then, on Boxing Day at Melbourne, he took the new ball against Australia, went for 15 in his first over, and was hauled out of the attack. Roach was dropped at the end of that tour and not seen against in West Indies whites for another 18 months.


The Roach who returned to Test cricket at Lord’s in the summer of 2017 was strikingly different from the bowler who had left it. For one thing, he was the veteran of the team, 29 years old. Age had slowed him down, but it had also given him a certain wisdom. “The more injuries you get, the more the body wears out,” he said. “I had to bowl within myself.” From his crash to his omission in 2016, he averaged 36. Since his return, he’s averaged 22.

But the relatively old hand had learned a few new tricks. He went back to domestic cricket with Barbados and performed well. He learned to use the crease much better, improved his command of swing and cut, worked especially hard on bowling around the wicket to counter England’s left-handers. It’s telling that the biggest influences on Roach as a bowler, from Malcolm Marshall to Corey Collymore to Ottis Gibson – even going all the way back to Alan Richardson during a short stint at Worcestershire – were not pure speed merchants but skilled craftsmen.

All four of Roach’s wickets on day one at Antigua were the result of a considered plan. To Rory Burns he steamed in from around the wicket, trying to angle the ball away, and taking the edge. With Moeen Ali, the plan was to bang the ball in and force him to play it at an uncomfortable height. To Sam Curran he tried to bowl on a good length with the occasional surprise lifter. And against dangerous Jonny Bairstow, he exploited a familiar weakness to full swinging deliveries on the stumps, nipping the ball in and trapping him LBW. Not the world’s most esoteric bowling plans, to be sure, but when you marry decent planning with good execution, soaring confidence and a helpful pitch, the results are often auspicious.


“Hard work in the nets,” he answered when asked what was the key to his transformation over the last 18 months. “I’ve had a lot of input and communication from the coaches. I’ve been working really hard in the gym. Running is incorporated in our training a lot. That’s helped my rhythm a lot. I’m getting older now, so I have to put work into my body. But right now, I’m in good stead.”

Where does he sit historically? Clearly he doesn’t yet belong in the very top bracket, with the likes of Ambrose and Walsh, Holding and Marshall, Garner and Croft, all of whom averaged under 25. Even so, Roach’s average of 27.7 puts him well clear of contemporaries like Fidel Edwards or Jerome Taylor. That feels about right: great not by the classic standards of West Indies fast bowling, but certainly the best to have emerged in a generation, and for a side that has been ailing for so much of that time, there’s something uniquely precious to that.

Ali leads fightback but England's series hopes left in the balance
More importantly, he’s simply been there: from the darkest moments when they were putting out a second-string team to face Bangladesh because of a contract dispute, to their bright new dawn now. He’s still only 30 and has plenty of balls left in him. These days he doesn’t so much break arms as break spirits. Or, as he puts it: “Keep your areas, make the batsmen play as many balls as possible.” England, you suspect, can’t wait to see the back of him.

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport...-ponting-australia-video-report-a8757681.html
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is staged by England for the fourth time, with memories stirred of the West Indies victory in the inaugural tournament in 1975 and again at Lord’s four years later.

Kemar Roach is excited about walking in the footsteps of heroes this summer.

The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is staged by England for the fourth time, with memories stirred of the West Indies victory in the inaugural tournament in 1975 and again at Lord’s four years later.

Those teams were inspired by legendary names like Clive Lloyd, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding and, of course, Sir Viv Richards, players that transcended their sport and secured their place in the pantheon of cricket greatness.

In contrast West Indies class of 2019, captained by the eloquent Jason Holder, a player none other than Brian Lara has compared in leadership skills to Lloyd, happily admit they are underdogs.

“It’s a great feeling to follow those guys that won here all those years ago. We know the history we have in this tournament when England host it and that’s inspiring to us all,” said Roach, 30.

“What those guys did means we still get amazing support in this country, we know the fans here love the West Indies and we want to put on that show they expect.

“However, we also know we have to make our own history, that’s our challenge and the guys are ready for it.

“I’m feeling really good and focused, it can’t start soon enough to be honest. I’m very positive because I love this big stage, it’s made for my game.”

Roach is established in the top ten of West Indies wicket-takers, generating ferocious pace despite standing at comparatively diminutive five foot eight inches.

He ripped through the England batting order in the recent Test series, claiming 18 victims at an average of 13.88, and the World Cup is a tournament he has already made an impression on.

Eight years ago he became only the sixth bowler to ever claim a hat-trick at the tournament, when his figures of 6/27 against Holland further cemented his place in the record books.

However, the eighth place team in the world ODI rankings, who lost their last three matches against Bangladesh, aren’t creating quite the same buzz as those that have gone before - not that Roach or team-mates care.

“We love being underdogs, going under the radar and surprising people, that is our game plan,” added Roach, now fully recovered from the stress fracture in his back that forced him out of the 2-2 one-day series draw with England in the Caribbean earlier this year.

“We like not having to deal with the hype. The format is ideal, whoever wins this World Cup won’t have got lucky - they’ll have had to play everyone.

“If we start getting on a roll, no-one will relish facing us.”
 
Another brilliant bowling display by Roach. Probably at peak of his powers? Averaging 19 with 65 wickets in the last 2 years.
 
Very impressive and is WI best pacer.

Needs to improve his performance away from home, but he has a few years left.
 
Bowled better than Bumrah in this innings, but not an Indian so can't get the same hype.
 
jnaveen1980 said:
Another brilliant bowling display by Roach. Probably at peak of his powers? Averaging 19 with 65 wickets in the last 2 years.
Click to expand...

Once upon a time the greatest cricketer ever produced in Asia imran khan was averaging 50 with the bat and 18 with the ball in a good consistent period
 
Roach does well despite his short height. I think he is a great bowler and has been quite consistent with the ball.
 
Kemar Roach is a fantastic bowler and arguably a better bowler than any Pakistani bowler in the world currently, although he is inferior to Bumrah and at the same level to the current version of Ishant Sharma.
 
Ab Fan said:
Kemar Roach is a fantastic bowler and arguably a better bowler than any Pakistani bowler in the world currently, although he is inferior to Bumrah and at the same level to the current version of Ishant Sharma.
Click to expand...

Mohammad abbas stats are good as anyone's in test cricket for the amount of games hes played, im convinced over time shaheen Hasnain and naseem will be the real deal
 
Kemar Roach is no stranger to English conditions. In fact, the West Indies quick has time and again admitted that he enjoys playing in England. And his track record against the England is impressive – 42 wickets in 10 Tests.

Things however, are different this time. Ever since touching base in Manchester on Tuesday for a three-match Test series, the West Indies players have gone for their mandatory 14-day quarantine in a bio-secured facility at the Old Trafford.

The leading bowlers among Test captains

As the world grapples with coronavirus pandemic, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has taken all the initiative to ensure health and safety of the West Indies players.

Roach, however, is looking forward to a memorable outing against England and is confident that the Caribbean side will be able to regroup before the first Test begins on July 8.

In an interview with Sportstar from Manchester, Roach opened up on a range of issues.

As international cricket is set to resume after almost four months, what are your thoughts?

I always relish the opportunity to come to England and to play for the West Indies. A lot of changes are being made to ensure we can operate in this new atmosphere. Therefore, it’s all about adapting and keeping yourself in a cricketing mind state. It will be an interesting and challenging tour, so I am really looking forward to the opportunity.

Since the team has reached England quite early, how do you plan to utilise this period?

With the social distancing and curfew situation in Barbados (and around the Caribbean), we haven’t been able to do our regular training. I think coming to England early, gives us a little bit more time to prepare. It gives us a fair chance to ensure that we are mentally and physically ready for the first Test, starting on July 8.

During the last three months of lockdown, how did you keep yourself fit and motivated? How tough will it be for all the players to quickly get back to shape ahead of the Test series?

Obviously, being home and not being able to go to the gym and field was very tough. However, I made sure to get in the work that I could. I focused on running and doing home workouts (provided by the Cricket West Indies S&C). I think the worst of it (for cricketers) is now gone and with the assistance of the coaching unit, we will get ourselves back to proper cricketing fitness to ensure that we are ready for this series.

For the first time, a Test series will be played in a bio-bubble environment - something which is quite unique. How challenging is it to get used to it?

Obviously, no one is accustomed to this, but it’s something we must get used to. Being in your room a lot more than usual is probably a little more taxing on the brain. However, we’re here for cricket. If you can’t go out, be sure to bond with your teammates and think of ways to improve your game. It’s both good and bad, but as I said, it’s all about adapting.

Do you feel that the bio-bubble environment will be a sustainable model in the future?

Personally, I don’t think it’s here to stay. For me, we just need to continue following the protocol, as long as it remains, to ensure that we are keeping ourselves and the people around us safe. Right now, it’s undeniably the best way to go, but hopefully we will go back to something close to normal in the future.

How different or challenging will it be to play in front of an empty stand? After all, fans make the sport more interesting. Your take on it?

It will be new for all of us. Especially considering how passionate the English spectators are about the sport and how we as West Indians tend to enjoy these atmospheres. We will miss their clapping and their cheering; we will not be hearing that and it will be tough. It may seem quite boring, but West Indies must remain focused on the task at hand.

The ICC has introduced quite a few changes in the rules, with the ban on saliva for ball shining being the most significant move. For a fast bowler, how challenging will it be to not shine the ball with saliva?

That is definitely going to be an interesting challenge. I am eager to see the alternative that the ICC will give us to spit-shining the ball. Playing cricket for so many years and using saliva to help keep the ball moving, it will be tough. So I’m excited to see what we can put in place to help the bowlers keep the ball glossed and shine.

What are the challenges that you feel could the players face in the England series, in regards to the rule changes?

There are always a significant number of challenges when playing a team like England. However, regarding the ongoing situation, I think the atmosphere (or lack thereof) will play a major part. It gets very cold in England and with no fans in the stands, that may be magnified.

There won't be celebrations, no hugs, no high-fives. Do you think that COVID-19 has taken the charm out of cricket?

This pandemic has changed a lot of things and cricket is no different. I want to see how it goes, but I know it won’t be the same and it will take a certain level of adaptation to cope with these things.

For the next few weeks in England, what are the targets for you and the West Indies team? And realistically, how challenging will it be to stay motivated in such trying times?

It’s all about staying together and supporting each other. We know it’s tough times, but we are motivated by the fact that we have the Wisden Trophy and we can come here to defend it. Once we plan well and execute our plans, I think we stand a very good chance of taking that trophy back home. We must remain positive, play cricket in the best way we can and challenge the English players in their own conditions.

The ICC has allowed the teams to replace players if they develop COVID-19 symptoms during a Test match. Do you think such a move is necessary in such a time?

The ICC must always look at ways to keep its stakeholders safe and if a substitute is one of the practices they deem necessary, we will accept that and use it, if necessary. Hopefully, no one gets sick, no one gets ill and we can go whole Test matches and whole series’ without cases. I’m just keeping my mind focused, concentrating on the positives and looking to play some good cricket, before getting back home safely to my family.

https://sportstar.thehindu.com/cric...s-covid-19-substitute-icc/article31800909.ece
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kemar Roach has become the first West Indian bowler since Curtly Ambrose in March 1994 to reach 200 Test wickets <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvWI?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvWI</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1286973526398980097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Abdullah719 said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kemar Roach has become the first West Indian bowler since Curtly Ambrose in March 1994 to reach 200 Test wickets <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvWI?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvWI</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1286973526398980097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Click to expand...

Not everyone will understand but it brings a tear to my eye to see this stat from a West Indian pacer, it has been way too long; it might not be seen as a massive achievement but it will mean a great deal to peoples on the Islands and what a joy it has been to witness the second coming of my favourite West Indian pacer in this century; I really do hope this is the start of something special for Roach, would love for him to end his career as a West Indian great
 
27.5 average but hes honestly a ~25 average bowler. Been bending his back for the last 10 years with limited or wavering support. Hes better than broad or anderson, put it that way
 
majiz said:
27.5 average but hes honestly a ~25 average bowler. Been bending his back for the last 10 years with limited or wavering support. Hes better than broad or anderson, put it that way
Click to expand...

Absolute nonsense. Roach is a decent bowler, but nowhere as skilled or consistent as Broad or Anderson. Before anyone brings up the away record of those two, Roach averages 37 away from the Caribbean.
 
Pakistan would kill for a bowler with his test stats, wholehearted bowler who loves playing test cricket
 
Roach is arguably also better than any bowler that has debuted for Pakistan in the last 20 years*.

*customary exclusion clause for Mohammad Asif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Ab Fan
Kemar Roach vs Shoaib Akhtar - Who is the better Test bowler?
Replies
64
Views
1K
big_gamer007
big_gamer007
GLORY OF '92
Is the loss of Salman Butt grossly underrated in comparison to Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir?
2
Replies
101
Views
2K
IMMY69
IMMY69
mominsaigol
Pakistani players who should have played more games for their Country
Replies
20
Views
346
RyanRyan10
RyanRyan10
mominsaigol
Currently Naseem Shah is amongst the top 5 bowlers in the world
Replies
15
Views
1K
mominsaigol
mominsaigol
Dr_Bassim
What can we learn from Rohit Sharma's captaincy against Pakistan at World Cup 2023?
Replies
36
Views
1K
Cover Drive Six
Cover Drive Six
Back
Top