Kemar Roach, who last played an ODI in Port of Spain against India in 2019, has been included in the series that will begin from February 6 in Ahmedabad and Kolkata.
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West Indies have welcomed back veteran Kemar Roach in the side for the limited-overs series in India. Roach, who last played ODIs in 2019, has been included on the back of his experience. He has played 92 ODIs and taken 124 wickets at an economy rate of five. With the West Indies bowling struggling for penetration in the last couple of series, Roach’s inclusion could boost the West Indies bowling. He has taken three five-wicket hauls, which includes his best of 6/27 against the Netherlands in the 2011 World Cup match in Delhi. That match saw Roach take a World Cup hat-trick as well.
In the past couple of years, Roach has been pigeonholed as a Test match specialist. The right-arm pacer has taken 231 wickets at an average of 27 in 68 Tests. He has been sensational with the ball in Tests in the last four years. From 2017 till 2021, Roach has taken 109 wickets in 31 Tests at an average of 25.3.
Apart from Roach, there are some fresh faces in the West Indies team. Brandon King, who scored a fifty in the ongoing Twenty20 Internationals against England, is also there in the side. Before the series against England, King impressed with the bat in the series against Pakistan. Apart from that, Nkrumah Bonner has also been selected. Bonner, just like Roach, has been the mainstay of the Windies batting in Tests. He has averaged 40 in Tests and is close to 2000 runs in List A cricket.
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Speaking about the selection, West Indies lead selector Desmond Haynes has heaped praise on Roach. “We want to have competition for places and reach a stage where we have a lot of players fighting for positions. The team we have selected is a very good side. We are looking at this tour as part of the preparations for the World Cup in India in 2023. Roach is one of our leading fast bowlers. With an economy rate of five, he is certainly good enough to play. Over the last few years, Nkrumah Bonner’s cricket has come on leaps and bounds. We believe he should be given an opportunity to play in the 50-over format,” Haynes said.
The ODIs will be played on February 6,9 and 11 in Ahmedabad. The three Twenty20 Internationals will be played in Kolkata.
Kieron Pollard (C), Fabian Allen, Nkrumah Bonner, Darren, Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Nicholas Pooran, Kemar Roach, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Hayden Walsh Jr
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