Surrey’s new LV= County Championship signing Kemar Roach is vastly experienced in Test cricket but which of his 61 appearances for West Indies stand out?
Earlier today we confirmed the signing of the fast bowler for the first seven LV= County Championship fixtures of the upcoming season. He brings with him a vast amount of first-class experience for Barbados & West Indies as well as knowledge of county cricket from a brief stay with Worcestershire in 2011.
Last summer Roach was in the UK with the West Indies Test side. Although the series ended in a 2-1 victory for England, Roach will have fond memories having surpassed 200 career Test wickets.
Roach was a senior member of an exciting West Indies attack through that series and was dangerous throughout, his wicket haul not truly reflecting his skill through those three matches.
Roach has already had a long career at Test level and he’s nowhere near done yet, with a two-match series against Sri Lanka to be played before he comes to The Kia Oval.
It may be a surprise that he is yet to play a red-ball match at The Kia Oval but he did play at our ground twice during the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, including a Man of the Match performance against Pakistan.
Of his 61 Test matches to date though, which are the bowling figures that really stand out?
6/48 – West Indies v Bangladesh (Grenada, 2009)
Roach’s only six-wicket haul in an innings came in a defeat to Bangladesh very early on in his Test career and included the scalp of captain and eventual Man of the Match Shakib Al Hasan.
5/8 – West Indies v Bangladesh (Antigua, 2018)
Almost a decade after that 6/48 but against the same opponents including the same star personnel Tamim Iqbal & Shakib Al Hasan, came this phenomenal effort that led to an innings victory.
Roach claimed the wickets of Tamim, Shakib as well as Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim & Mahmudullah before also contributing 33 with the bat.
5/17 – West Indies v England (Barbados, 2019)
Roach was the top wicket taker in this three-match series won by West Indies with 18 scalps to his name. This was his personal highlight of that series, ripping through England to dismiss Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali & our very own Rory Burns.
5/41 – West Indies v Australia (Trinidad, 2012)
This drawn match against a star-studded Australia team included the scalp of Ricky Ponting for Roach. He also dismissed Ed Cowan, Matthew Wade, Ben Hilfenhaus & Michael Beer.
5/72 – England v West Indies (Lord’s, 2017)
Roach’s best Test figures in the UK came in the final encounter of a thrilling three-match series in the summer of 2017 and his name will forever be on the Lord’s honours boards because of this day’s work.
He removed Alastair Cook, Dawid Malan, Bairstow, Moeen & Surrey batsman Mark Stoneman.
