'I'm up for the fight' - Roach ready to put in hard work needed to take Bangladesh wickets

By January 26, 2021

West Indies fast bowler, Kemar Roach, insists he is ready for the challenge of trying to take wickets on Bangladesh pitches, despite the surfaces being more suited to spin-bowling.

Despite the presence of several spinners in the squad, the 32-year-old is expected to lead the West Indies bowling line-up, along with fellow pace bowlers Shannon Gabriel and Alzarri Joseph.  If the dominance of spinners in the One Day International series, on pitches that offered very little assistance to pace bowlers, is anything to go by they will certainly have their work cut out.

Having been in Bangladesh on two prior Test series, Roach would know first-hand what it takes to succeed on spin-friendly terrain.

In 2011, he claimed 0 for 52 off 9 overs and 1 for 49 off 13.2 overs in the second Test of the series.  When he returned in 2018, he claimed 1 for 74 off 18 overs in the first Test and 2 for 61 in 25 overs as Bangladesh made a mammoth 500 in the second Test.

“It mostly favours the spinners but I think there is enough there for fast bowlers to get something as well.  It’s just about having your plans, executing, and being disciplined,” Roach told members of the media via a press conference from Bangladesh on Tuesday.

“It’s going to be tough, we know we have to bowl a lot more overs to get our rewards but once you are willing to put the work in you can get some rewards over here…so it’s going to be tough but I’m up for the fight.”

The Windies have had recent success with pace bowling in Bangladesh with Tino Best claiming a five-for in 2012 and Fidel Edwards claiming 8 wickets in the 2011 series.

 

Kwesi Mugisa

Kwesi has been a sports journalist with more than 10-years’ experience in the field. First as a Sports Reporter with The Gleaner in the early 2000s before he made the almost natural transition to becoming an editor. Since then he has led the revamp of The Star’s sports offering, making it a more engaging and forward-thinking component of the most popular tabloid newspaper in the Caribbean.

Related items

  • West Indies Women to tour India for three ODIs and three T20Is in December West Indies Women to tour India for three ODIs and three T20Is in December

    The West Indies Women will be in action next month when they tour India from December 15-27.

    The series, part of the 2022-2025 Future Tours Programme (FTP), will see the Windies taking on India in three T20Is and three ODIs in Navi Mumbai and Vadodara.

    The T20Is are scheduled for December 15, 17 and 19 followed by the ODIs on December 22, 24 and 27.

    This will be a valuable experience for the regional side in conditions they should experience at next year’s ODI World Cup in India.

    West Indies last played a white-ball series in India eight years ago, winning the T20I series 3-0 before losing the ODIs 0-3.

  • Volcanoes secure second win of the season with 98-run DLS method victory over CCC Volcanoes secure second win of the season with 98-run DLS method victory over CCC

    The Windward Islands Volcanoes got their second positive result in this year’s CG United Super50 Cup alive with a 98-run DLS method win over the Combined Campuses and Colleges at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Wednesday.

    In a match reduced to 44 overs per side, the Windwards produced an excellent batting effort after being inserted by the CCC.

    The 2018 champions produced a score of 307-7 in their 44 overs thanks to half centuries from Alick Athanaze, captain Sunil Ambris and Kavem Hodge.

    Athanaze led the way with 77 off 75 balls including 12 fours and a six. Ambris made a 63-ball 70 including eight fours while Hodge made an even 50 off 47 balls including five fours.

    West Indies Under-19 captain Stephan Pascal also chipped in with 41 as Amari Goodridge and Romario Greaves each took two wickets.

    Set a revised target of 312 off their 44 overs, the CCC could only muster up 213 in 36.3 overs before being bowled out.

    Jonathan Drakes led the way with 55 off 68 balls against Shadrack Descarte who bowled with skill on his way to figures of 4-43 from 6.3 overs of medium pace.

    Darius Martin and Kenneth Dember provided good support with two wickets, each.

    Full Scores:

    Windward Islands Volcanoes 307-7 off 44 overs (Alick Athanaze 77, Sunil Ambris 70, Kavem Hodge 50, Stephan Pascal 44, Amari Goodridge 2-43, Romario Greaves 2-68

    Combined Campuses and Colleges 213 off 36.3 overs (Jonathan Drakes 55, Johann Jeremiah 29, Shadrack Descarte 4-43, Darius Martin 2-33, Kenneth Dember 2-33.

  • Maxwell leads Australia to opening T20I victory Maxwell leads Australia to opening T20I victory

    Glenn Maxwell's impressive 43 powered Australia to a 29-run victory over Pakistan in their opening T20I, which was heavily affected by rain.

    Both teams were able to play seven overs each after a thunderstorm in Brisbane delayed proceedings, but it did not affect Australia's performance as they took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

    Matt Short (7) and Jake Fraser-McGurk (9) were both taken early, but Maxwell's 43 off 19 balls, which included eight boundaries, turned the tide.

    Abbas Afridi (2-9) took him and Tim David (10), but with Marcus Stoinis' 21, the damage was already done as Australia finished 93-4.

    Pakistan struggled to gain any momentum, with none of their first six batters hitting double figures and Sahibzada Farhan's eight was the best of that group.

    The wickets toppled thanks to Xavier Bartlett (3-13) and Nathan Ellis (3-9), and even though Afridi salvaged some pride with his unbeaten 20 to help them reach 64-9, they fell short of their target.

    Data Debrief: Home advantage

    Despite the shortened nature of the game, Australia still made their mark in some style. They extended their winning run in Brisbane in the process, with this their fifth T20I victory in a row at The Gabba. 

    On the other side, Babar Azam will have been hoping for a better performance on what was a landmark day for him - he has now made the outright most appearances for Pakistan in T20Is (124), overtaking Shoaib Malik. He also broke the record for the most catches by a fielder in T20Is for Pakistan (52), going past Fakhar Zaman's 50.

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.