Kemar Roach was seen in tip-top shape in the nets at Kensington Oval on Tuesday looking fit and ready for a return to the big stage. The 37-year-old with 284 wickets in an illustrious 85-match Test career, was spotted bowling at full speed in the nets alongside Barbados-born England players Jofra Archer and Chris Jordan. They joined the Barbados Pride players as they continued intense preparations for the upcoming Super50 List A tournament in Trinidad.
Roach’s unexpected presence has fueled speculation that he is in line for a call-up for the West Indies upcoming tour of New Zealand where the Windies will face the Black Caps in three Test matches in December in Christ Church, Wellington and Mount Maunganui. Archer meanwhile is working in the build-up for the upcoming blockbuster Ashes as England take on Australia.
The West Indies suffered a 179-run loss at the hands of Bangladesh in the deciding 3rd One Day International in Mirpur earlier on Thursday. The Caribbean side, who were set 297 runs to win, were bundled out for 117 in 30.1 overs.
West Indies head coach Daren Sammy was left unimpressed with his team’s spinners. “I'm really disappointed in the way we bowled,” he said. “When you come to Bangladesh, spinners should be licking their lips because that's the area where you will get to execute your plans in the most favourable conditions.”
Spinners Wickets Average Econ
West Indies 18 29.44 4.7
Head coach Shane Deitz says he wants the West Indies Women’s team to be fitter when they return to international cricket in 2026. Almost a full quota of the senior team started training camp in Antigua and Barbuda on Monday and will remain there through the first week of December. “One area we've got to get right is our strength and conditioning," Deitz said.
Since his appointment in July of 2023, the Australian has insisted he wants the team to play the ‘Caribbean way.’ He reiterated, “We need fast, athletic, and robust cricketers who can play the style of cricket we want, entertain the crowds, put on a massive show, and win lots of games, but also stay fit and healthy through a tough period.”
The West Indies are in the fourth of an 8-month drought of competitive cricket after failing to qualify for the ongoing ICC Women’s World Cup. They have been inactive since their 2-1 T20I home series win over South Africa in June and will not feature until February, when Sri Lanka travels to the Caribbean for a white-ball tour.
The West Indies became the first men’s team to deliver 50 overs of spin in one-day international cricket on their way to a heart-stopping super over victory over Bangladesh in the second contest in Dhaka earlier on Tuesday. Gudakesh Motie (3 for 65), Alick Athanaze (2 for 14), and Akeal Hosein (2 for 41) helped restrict the hosts to 213 for 7 from their 50 overs. The other spinners, Roston Chase and Khary Pierre went wicketless, conceding 44 & 43, respectively, in their quota.
The visiting players have been measured in their comments about the slower-than-usual Mirpur pitch. Coach Daren Sammy has instead responded with tactics. They dropped pacer Jayden Seales, their most effective bowler from game one with figures of 3 for 48. He made way for Akeal Hosein.
Hosein eventually defended 10 in the super over to hand the Caribbean side a 1-run win. “When you look at the surface and what it's doing, it makes little sense asking your fast bowlers to run up and exert that kind of effort on this pitch,” Hosein said.
“I’m trying to understand your question,” Daren Sammy said, with a scratch of his head. The reporter he was addressing had spent the 60 seconds prior laying the foundation for a very poignant query. “Do you think the idea of the West Indies is fading among the next generation of players?” he asked.
It’s a question that has been tossed around quite callously for the last decade. Some may argue that the current state of West Indies cricket justifies it. The West Indies coach, however, isn’t one of them.
“I think the ‘idea’ of the West Indies brings, probably in history, the most successful brand in cricket,” the two-time T20 World Cup-winning captain began his oration. “That is what the ‘idea’ of the West Indies represents.”
Just as Sammy tested out the theory by repeating the word in his response, shall we do the same? In essence, the people of the Caribbean are not being asked if West Indies cricket has served its purpose. A decade and a half of dominance with the red ball and seven white-ball titles (across the men’s, women’s, and age-group teams) will justify that. However, the question we are posed with is whether this purpose has reached its conclusion. Is there a fundamental reason why the institution still exists? Sammy insists there is. “The idea of the West Indies will never be one that is a failure, because I understand the history we bring to this game.”
