Kemar Roach mystified by Anderson and Broad omission as West Indies eye history

GEORGE DOBELL IN ANTIGUA: The absence of England's top Test wicket-takers gives the hosts an "advantage" ahead of the three-Test series, according to the Windies seamer

Kemar Roach believes the absence of England’s two most experienced fast bowlers has given West Indies an “advantage” heading into the Test series.

Roach, the player of the series when West Indies defeated England in the Caribbean in 2019, admits he was “surprised” by the decision to omit James Anderson and Stuart Broad from the tour party and says it leaves them with a “bit of a hole to fill”. 

He also suggested he would be deeply underwhelmed if he was ever left out of an important Test series to allow opportunities for younger players.

“I thought it was a quite surprising decision,” Roach said of the omission of Anderson and Broad. “I definitely thought both of them would still be involved. 

“But decisions have been made. I think it's a slight advantage for us. Obviously, with those experienced players missing, it leaves a little bit of a hole for England to fill.

“How would it go down if I was left out to provide opportunities for younger bowlers? Not too well. It would definitely not go down well. There would be some breaking news coming to you guys, for sure.”

^{Joe Root and Ben Stokes have been identified as the key figures in the England batting order (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)}

Roach, who needs just four more wickets to equal fellow Barbadian Sir Garfield Sobers’ Test wicket tally of 235, is proud of West Indies’ home record against England and hopes to extend their series record of one home loss in 50 years, to one home loss in a 100.

“There’s definitely an extra lift in defending that record,” Roach said. “I take the English coming to the Caribbean very seriously. We have a very good record only losing once at home in more than 50 years; that’s a long time.

“So I think the onus is on us as players to have that in the back of your minds and go there and play our best cricket. We should keep that record in mind. I don't really want to lose that record.

“So, it would be great to win this series and take that tradition and record further and further forward. Hopefully, we can hold it for 100 years; that would be fantastic.

“For me, England is the biggest series. At home, we have that confidence factor going into the series and you want to perform well against England. I'm always looking to go hard and put in my best performance against the poms.

“If we can get Joe Root and Ben Stokes early, we can put England under immense pressure and we're in with a good chance.”