WI vs ENG | Roach criticizes Barbados pitch, says ‘no enjoyment for fast bowling in Caribbean anymore’

After the England batters made merry in their first innings of the ongoing second Test against the West Indies in Barbados, the tearaway fast bowler Kemar Roach has come forward to express his displeasure over the pitch provided for this game. Dissatisfied with an arguably lifeless track, Roach has slammed the majority of the pitches of the Caribbean by terming them ‘dead tracks’.

By a fluent century from their captain Joe Root, a gritty 91 by the young Dan Lawrence and a dynamic knock of 120 off just 128 deliveries by Ben Stokes, the visitors were able to post a mammoth total of 507 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in their first innings. 

On being asked about the bowling efforts of the West Indies pace battery, the right-arm fast-medium said that he was happy as the bowling unit could pick nine wickets on a track that seemed paradise for the batters. 

“On a pitch like that, it’s tough to control two quality players 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”, Roach said. 

But the veteran paceman also admitted that it was a daunting task to prevent players like Root and Stokes from scoring on such a terrific batting track. He further expressed his deep concerns regarding the current conditions of the Caribbean surfaces by saying that the wickets lack spice these days, and therefore bowling on these decks is not being enjoyed by the fast bowlers anymore. 

“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 to life again in the Caribbean”, the 33-year concluded. 

At stumps on Day 3, both teams have had their fair shares of toiling the opposition bowlers. Currently, West Indies are trailing behind by 219 runs with six wickets in hand. 

England - 507/9 dec (150.5 overs)

Joe Root 153, Ben Stokes 120

Veerasammy Permaul - 3/126 (35.5)

West Indies 288/4 (117 overs*)

Kraigg Braithwaite 109*, Jermaine Blackwood 102

Ben Stokes 1/34 (17) Daniel Lawrence 1/8 (5)