All-rounder Roston Chase was named the West Indies Test captain vs Australia, even though Roston Chase hasn’t played a Test in more than two years. The 33-year-old Roston Chase replaces 32-year-old Kraigg Brathwaite, who resigned from the job in March after three years. Roston Chase will lead West Indies in three home Tests against Australia in June and July. The first Test in Bridgetown on Chase’s home island of Barbados will also be his 50th since his Test debut in 2016.
He was appointed as the successor to Kraigg Brathwaite to lead the West Indies Test side in May, with Jomel Warrican named as his deputy. Brathwaite stepped down after a four-year tenure, during which the team finished eighth in the most recent WTC (2023-25) standings.
The 1.96-meter (6-foot-5) off-spinner Roston Chase has taken 85 wickets at 46, and as a middle-order bat has scored more than 2,200 runs at 26, including five hundreds. Roston Chase’s best bowl was 8-60 against England in the second innings of a 381-run win in 2019 at his Bridgetown home ground.
Roston Chase was shortlisted for the captaincy with John Campbell, Tevin Imlach, Joshua Da Silva, Justin Greaves and Jomel Warrican. Shai Hope, the one-day and Twenty20 captain, declined to be considered. West Indies officials said they conducted detailed assessments of tactical approach, leadership style, communication skills and behaviour before choosing Roston Chase.
Kick-starting their new WTC cycle, West Indies will play three Test matches against Australia at home before getting on the road. Roston Chase, while excited about taking the team forward, has set realistic goals for the next two years.
Roston Chase believes that his team has the capabilities to beat Australia
West Indies’ newly appointed Test captain, Roston Chase, has stated that he does not feel any pressure as his team prepares to host the formidable Australia for a three-match Test series beginning on Wednesday at Kensington Oval in Barbados. Roston Chase is returning to Test cricket after a two-year hiatus, and his first challenge is against Australia, marking the beginning of the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle at home.
Despite acknowledging Australia as the No. 1 Test team, Roston Chase insisted he will focus on playing his best cricket.
“I wouldn’t call it pressure. They are obviously the top team in the world. We are looking to go out there, play our best cricket, and execute the plans discussed in our team meetings, along with the data we’ve been provided,” he told Outlook during a digital press conference, felicitated by FanCode, the official streaming partner for the WI vs AUS series, on Monday.
“We just want to give a full 100 per cent effort and play some hard cricket.”
At 33 years old, the all-rounder Roston Chase admitted that he has never captained a senior team in Test cricket, but he believes in his leadership skills.
“I’ve never captained a senior team in terms of the West Indies or the Barbados team in Tests. However, I’ve led eight other teams in the West Indies before. I think I’m a good leader. I’m not perfect, but I am still learning,” said Chase.
Roston Chase expressed confidence in utilising his limited experience from leading teams in white-ball formats to inspire the Windies.
“I did most of my captaincy in my early days, like at the school and local division levels. I think I have a calm style as a captain, and I know how to bring out the best in the players,” he added.
He also disclosed that he had discussions with head coach Darren Sammy before taking over the captaincy from Brathwaite. Roston Chase will work with Daren Sammy, who has taken charge as West Indies all-format coach from April this year.
“The conversations I had regarding captaincy were with coach Darren Sammy and Miles Bascombe from the board. I’ve been out for two years, but Sammy approached me about returning because I always wanted to play Test cricket again. I was exploring white-ball formats and franchise cricket for a bit. He asked me about coming back, and after considering it, I decided to return,” he explained.
Chase revealed that he is “very excited” to take on this new role, noting that he wasn’t ready for it last year.
“I was thrilled to receive the captaincy. It’s a prestigious position, one that many greats before me have held. It was a proud moment for me when I got the news.”
Additionally, Shai Hope, the ODI captain, has also taken over as T20I skipper from and has been included in the Windies Test squad for this series.
West Indies Test Squad: Roston Chase (c), Kraigg Brathwaite, Mikyle Louis, Brandon King, John Campbell, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Justin Greaves, Keacy Carty, Jomel Warrican, Kevlon Anderson, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Johann Layne, Anderson Phillip, Jayden Seales
Also Read: WI vs AUS: “Captaining The West Indies Is A Great Job”- Roston Chase Ready To Embrace Leadership