West Indies coach Phil Simmons lauds Kemar Roach for his 'exceptional influence' on the field

The hosts, West Indies, completed a 2-0 clean sweep of Bangladesh, winning the St Lucia Test thanks to an outstanding bowling effort. The attack, comprised of youngsters and a veteran in Kemar Roach, rocked the visitors across both Tests, where they could not cross the 250-run barrier in any of the four innings.

West Indies coach Phil Simmons has pin-pointed Roach's role in guiding the likes of Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, and Anderson Philip as significant reasons for their series win.

According to ESPNcricinfo, Simmons said, 

"(Roach) is helping the fast bowlers to mature quicker. I think he has an exceptional influence on all the young fast bowlers. He has taken his role as the senior pro very seriously. It shows on the field. You can see him talking to them, who are trying to do the right things all the time. I think his influence has been massive to these young fast bowlers."

During the second Test, Roach became the sixth-highest wicket-taker in Tests after reaching the 250-wicket mark in his 73rd appearance for West Indies, going one ahead of the legendary Michael Holding.

Simmons seems pleased with West Indies' bowling unit in the absence of all-rounder Jason Holder.

"The first (Test) wicket wasn't conducive to fast bowling but we got them out for low scores," Simmons said. 

"In this Test match, to get them bowled out on the first day on a comparatively slow wicket, gave us the driver's seat. The fast bowlers deserve a lot of credit. We have worked hard in the two series, and come out victorious. This one maybe wasn't as hard as the first one, the important thing is that at the end of the day, the W is behind the two Tests. We won 2-0 in Bangladesh in 2021 as well. You have to take all those things, and sit back and enjoy it," he adds.

The former Test player couldn't resist praising Mayers and newcomer Anderson Philip for their performances.

"He [Mayers] brings in the wicket-taking factor. He is not express, but he puts the ball in the right areas. If he bats normally, he scores quickly in all three formats. I have to get him to understand that he needs to bat normally. Once we get that, he is going to be a force to be reckoned with."

"He [Philip] brings in the wicket-taking factor. He is not express, but he puts the ball in the right areas. If he bats normally, he scores quickly in all three formats. I have to get him to understand that he needs to bat normally. Once we get that, he is going to be a force to be reckoned with," the 59-year-old concluded.

Both teams will move to Dominica for the first two games of the 3-T20I series beginning July 2.