Veteran West Indies fast-bowler Kemar Roach has been handed a recall by the national selectors for the India tour after more than two years out of the squad.
Legendary opening batsman of the golden era of West Indies cricket, Desmond Haynes, is believed to be behind Roach’s inclusion into the squad, after the former replaced Roger Harper as chief selector.
The 33-year-old has not played a single white-ball game since his last ODI appearance, also against India, back in 2019. However, Haynes does not view that as a problem, as he has an eye on picking up quick wickets.
Roach is one of six changes that the Windies have made after their defeat against Ireland earlier this month, losing 2-1 in a three-match series. West Indies had a horrible time with bat in hand, which meant that underperforming players Roston Chase and Justin Greaves were axed from the squad.
All-rounder Fabian Allen is fit again after recovering from Covid-19, at the expense of Gudakesh Motie in the West Indies setup. Darren Bravo, Brandon King, and Nkrumah Bonner come into the side as the West Indies hope to find a solution to their batting woes.
Hayden Walsh Jr. also finds a place, giving the Windies an extra spin-bowling option through the middle overs. Devon Thomas and Jayden Seales, who were part of the Caribbean squad for the Ireland series, have also been dropped for the India tour.
“Kemar Roach is one of our leading fast bowlers, and we believe we need bowlers up front to get early wickets. Kemar, with an economy rate of five, is certainly good enough to play.”
said newly-appointed chief selector Desmond Haynes.
The three-match ODI series that will take place in Ahmedabad starting February 6 is part of the ODI Super League leading up to the 2023 World Cup.
The West Indies endured a stunning defeat at the hands of minnows Ireland earlier this month, after faltering on a 1-0 lead, where they defended 269, to lose the next two matches, with their batting being a huge disappointment, only being able to score 229 and 212.
After the series, captain Kieron Pollard himself admitted that his team have had a batting problem of late, setting the tone for some changes in the side.
The West Indies will also play three T20Is at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata as part of the tour, which will begin after the IPL 2022 Mega Auction has taken place. The selectors, led by Haynes, have opted to delay the announcement of the squad until the conclusion of their series against England.
“We want to have competition for places. We want to reach a stage where we have a lot of players fighting for positions. We want to broaden the pool of players we have to choose from.
The team we have selected is a very good side and we are looking at this tour as part of the preparations for the World Cup in India in 2023.”
Haynes said as he spoke about the ODI squad.
