Kemar Roach, the pace spearhead for the West Indies, has stated that the players in the Caribbean still look forward to Test matches, despite the cricket community’s belief that they only care about franchise cricket. In addition, Kemar Roach stated that Shamar Joseph needs to choose the best path and establish his legacy.
Against Australia in the opening Test match at the Adelaide Oval, Joseph made his international cricket debut by striking Steve Smith with his first ball. The Guyanese then proceeded to take a fifer and played brilliantly in both innings at bat. Still, Australia triumphed by ten wickets to hold onto the Frank Worrell Trophy.
Having recently eclipsed the great Joel Garner (259) and Michael Holding (249), Kemar Roach currently ranks in the fifth spot among West Indies all-time Test wicket-takers with 267 wickets.
In Adelaide, the Windies bagged all ten Australian wickets in a single innings, a feat they had not accomplished in 14 years. Since the 2009 Perth Test, all nine innings that the Australians have batted at home against the Windies have been declared closed rather than being bowled out.
Test cricket is still in the hearts of West Indian cricketers at home – Kemar Roach
Now on his fourth Test tour to Australia, Kemar Roach feels it’s a promising sign that builds on their success from the previous year’s tour and will give the team a lot of confidence.
In speaking to Perth Now on Tuesday, January 23, Roach said that while most Caribbean players aspire to play Test cricket, he will have to cope with certain distractions. And that will be the main obstacle facing the dynamic Joseph, who will have to make some tough choices as his star rises, according to Roach.
“The best advice I can give him is to build his own legacy and understand what you want from cricket. That’s up to him to determine if it’s monetary, or if it’s just stats and statistics or whatever. There’s gonna be a lot of distractions and he’s a hot commodity right now,” said Kemar Roach.
“The T20 franchises are a big distraction but guys still want to relish red-ball cricket. Test cricket is still in the hearts of West Indian cricketers at home. It’s just about us to provide support around it,” he added.
The cricket community has long expressed concern about the West Indies’ future due to their sharp decline from their peak. Notably, in order to participate in the IL20, Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers skipped the series against Australia.
I just wanted to be a part of those mega-cricketers back in the day – Kemar Roach
Kemar Roach went on to say that he wanted to be remembered as one of the great Windies fast bowlers, up there with Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, and Curtly Ambrose. The West Indies’ upcoming talents should be included in that list, the bowler continued.
“I love Test cricket. I’ve played one-dayers and the T20 format as well but I think my heart was always a part of the red ball. I just wanted to be a part of those mega-cricketers back in the day…Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall, Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh. I just wanted to be a part of those names. It’s different times now. It is just about these youngsters and what they want to achieve. Make the right decisions, and they go forward,” Roach elaborated.
Thursday, January 25, marks the start of the second and final Test between Australia and the West Indies.
Also Read: AUS vs WI: Clinical Australia Thump The Mighty West Indies In Adelaide