West Indies v New Zealand, 1st Test, Kingston

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAMAICA GLEANER
Jermaine Lannaman, Gleaner Writer

West Indies fastman, Kemar Roach, is proclaiming that he is close to his best, and if selected for the June 8-12 first Test at Sabina Park, intends to give it his all.

Roach, who last represented the West Indies in a Test match more than a year ago, has been out of competitive cricket since last September due to a shoulder surgery.

The surgery, he explained, kept him on the sidelines for up to six months, which forced him to miss the West Indies one-day and four-day tournaments, which were held between January and May.

However, since his rehabilitation, Roach says he has been putting in the work in training, during club competitions in Barbados, and during the recent West Indies pre-New Zealand training camp, which was held in Barbados.

"I had a lot of practice sessions coming up to this series, and generally, have been bowling pretty well," Roach said.

"I had a broken right shoulder and had surgery in Jamaica, and thereafter, about six moths of therapy to get back where I am at.

"It (injury) was excruciating pain, but I believe I am back now, and close to my best. I just want to continue this form and go out in the park and give it a good shot."

Creditable average

The 25-year-old Roach, who has snared a modest 85 wickets from 23 Test matches at a creditable average of 27.71, also believes he still has the pace which prior to his injury helped him to be a mainstay in the team.

"I think the pace is still there. The major problem now is bowling a good line and length, and getting the balls in the right areas," he said.

"Their (New Zealand) bowling attack has been doing very well over the last couple of years. We don't normally bat well twice in a Test," Bravo told WICB Media. "At times we tend to get a decent score in the first innings and falter in the second or the other way around. That is something we need to rectify. When our batsmen get starts we need to carry on and get big scores."