200 Test wicket is on my mind:Kemar Roach
Manchester/UNI: West Indies star fast bowler Kemar Roach says 200 Test wickets is in his mind but the goal is to beat England in the upcoming three-Test series.
He is the most experienced member of his side and has so far taken 193 wickets in 56 matches – ninth on the all-time list for West Indies in Tests.
Roach was the Man-of-the-Series with 18 wickets in three matches in last year’s sensation win on home turf and is “ready to go again” when the first Test bowls off on July 8.
“The 2019 series was great. We played really well especially that match in Barbados … that was one of the highlights especially in front of many of my fans and family. I rate that as Number 1 in my career when it comes to (performances in a) series. We played great cricket but we have moved on … we were high on then but we’ve moved on to this series which is ahead of us,” Roach told reporters via video conference on Sunday.
He took 5-17 in the first innings as West Indies bowled out England for just 77 and went on to win the match by 381 runs.
"Shannon, as we know, has come back from injury, and being a senior member of the squad in the past, I think we would definitely have a look at him coming into the [squad] if he's up to that fitness level leading into the first Test," said Windies coach Phil Simmons.
Oshane Thomas is yet to make his Test debut but will be pushing for a spot in the team on West Indies' upcoming tour of England.
One candidate Roach is particularly excited about is the uncapped Chemar Holder, who at the age of 22 has 76 first-class wickets to his name from just 19 games.
Meanwhile, in batting department West Indies are less confident, especially in the absence of the likes of Shimron Hetmyer and Darren Bravo, who opted not to tour England on account of the pandemic.
The West Indies squad will live, train and play in a “bio-secure” environment during the seven weeks of the tour, as part of the comprehensive medical and operations plans to ensure player and staff safety.
The bio-secure protocols will restrict movement in and out of the venues, so the selection panel has also named a list of reserve players who will travel to train and help prepare the Test squad and ensure replacements are available in case of any injury.
West Indies will have two inter-squad warm-up matches in Manchester before they travel to Southampton.
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