Kemar Roach needs to have someone like Curtly Ambrose to take pressure off him, admits Courtney Walsh

07/07/2020

Ahead of West Indies’ series against England, Courtney Walsh has opined that Kemar Roach needs to have a pacer like Curtly Ambrose at the other end to ease some of the pressure. On the same note, Walsh also professed that Roach could take 300 plus Test wickets with proper workload management.

Having played 56 Test matches, 32-year-old Kemar Roach goes into the series against England as the tourists’ most experienced pacer. The right-arm pacer has transformed himself as one of the best pacers around the world, with 46 wickets in the last two years. Talking about his effect on the team, former Windies pacer Courtney Walsh revealed that Roach needs a pacer like Curtly Ambrose to take the pressure off the pacer. Currently, in the lineup, there are a host of bowling options for the Windies but none on the same level or attitude as Curtly, as per Walsh.

“He has to have someone like I had Curtly (Ambrose). He needs to have someone in this team who can probably give him a smile or something different to take your mind away from it. And that in itself will help him to relax,” Walsh told ESPNCricinfo.

Despite Roach’s excellent recent form, his appearances in the Test setup has been reduced due to an increase in his workload, which has resulted in him being more prone to injuries. Last year, midway in a Test clash against Bangladesh, the 32-year-old walked back with an injury before coming back later in the home season. In his 11-year-old long Test career, the pacer has accounted for 193 wickets, at an average of 27.13 but Walsh believes it would get to 300 if there is proper workload management.

“He will get 300 quite easily once the workload management is good and he is playing consistent cricket. What you don’t want to happen to him is that every time he comes back he starts all over again.” The 57-year-old Walsh added.

“... his patience shows he will stick around, and he knows what to do and how to go about achieving that. To me that is what has got him to be as consistent as he is now. His work ethic has gone up as well and he’s doing all he can do to be one of the greats,” he concluded.

Kemar Roach needs to have someone like Curtly Ambrose to take pressure off him, admits Courtney Walsh

Get updates! Follow us on

Comments

0 Comments