Poor personal form and a winless run have left Chase nowhere to hide
“I think I had a tough series, very below par for my standard. I didn't really lead from the front on the field. Leading, in terms of words and encouraging and inspiring the team, was all good, but in terms of going out there and producing and letting the team have someone to look up to as a leader, I let myself and the team down.”
That was the self-assessment delivered by captain Roston Chase following West Indies’ 2-0 loss in their three-match Test series against New Zealand. Chase finished the tour with a batting average of 7.0 and a high score of 29.
The 33-year-old’s criticism of his performance was preceded by that of head coach Daren Sammy, who, ahead of the 3rd Test, argued that “runs not coming from [our] number seven and five” was a potential injury trigger for bowlers. While showing appreciation to his bowlers, Sammy chided the Windies batters for not spending enough time at the crease.
Unlike Chase’s suggestion, however, his poor output predates the just-concluded series. The Barbadian has scored 221 runs across 16 innings since being drafted back into the Test side as skipper.
Chase’s Batting Record as Test Captain
Innings Runs Average High Score
16 221 13.8 44
(Cricmetric)