West Indies quick Kemar Roach has criticised the nature of the pitches on offer in the Caribbean, lamenting the lack of assistance for pace bowlers, saying that there’s “no enjoyment for fast bowling anymore”, and that there are only “dead tracks now”.
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Roach’s comments came off the back of England mounting 507-9 declared in the first innings of the Barbados Test, which saw the hosts send down 150.5 overs on what some have described as a lifeless pitch. Roach said that he was happy that the bowling group eventually managed to take nine wickets, but admitted that there “wasn’t much” in the pitch.
West Indies were on the field for over five sessions as first Joe Root and then Ben Stokes registered centuries for the tourists. Roach eventually picked up Root on 153, but Stokes’ blazing 11th ton, and Dan Lawrence’s 91 earlier in the innings took the total past 500.
Speaking to BBC’s Test Match Special, Roach said: “On a pitch like that, it’s tough to control two quality players [Root and Stokes] at the crease, so I thought, yeah, one of those days where you just gonna control him. Yeah, he played well, but we got nine wickets, so that’s important. I am pretty happy with the bowling group today.”
“The pitches in the Caribbean are a bit of a concern. There’s no enjoyment for fast bowling anymore. There’s no pitch you can identify that you will want to perform there as a fast bowler. It’s all dead tracks now. It’s a bit concerning for me as a fast bowler, we’ve got a good group of fast bowlers coming through in the future as well. You need to have a discussion about it, and what we can go for, improve the pitches, and bring back cricket back to life again in the Caribbean.
Roach is as qualified as any to comment on the nature of Caribbean pitches. Roach ranks third in the all-time wicket-taking list for West Indies in home Tests, boasting a superb record of 165 wickets at 22.30. While Roach bemoaned the lack of assistance for quick bowlers, he did say that there was something in the Barbados surface for the spinners.
“A little bit [worrisome that it’s spinning so early], it would, only on day two. There are three more days left in the game, so it could be a little bit worrying, but the guys can negotiate it pretty well.”
