5 Players to watch out from the West Indies vs Sri Lanka Tests
Outside the exuberant hangover of the IPL, the awe-inspiring summits Afghanistan is scaling, the shifting scales between Pakistan and England up in the north, there awaits a Test series to be played between two nations at crucial junctures. Marred by a dip in form, uninspiring results on and off the field and administrative chaos, the sides of West Indies and Sri Lanka see just one way to get out of this slippery slope of chaos, triumph.
Sri Lanka, at an all-time low in the limited overs formats, will be looking forward to prove that their historic win in the UAE against Pakistan was not just a fluke. West Indies, after the Hope of Headingley, lost their way somehow relinquishing their shot at a rare series win and then floundering against New Zealand later that season.
One thing is for sure, both the sides have the potential to make a steady rise back towards their days of basking in the sun rather than wriggle uncomfortably in the darkness of despair. With both the teams having much to play for, it promises to be a cracker of a contest. Here are five players to look out for as the Sri Lankans take on the men from the Caribbean, starting June 6.
Kemar Roach
The diminutive fast bowler with the whippy action was one of the most exciting prospects in the world of fast bowling once. Injuries and poor form followed, but in a whim of persistence, Kemar Roach has managed to stay on the scene in what will be his 10th season in international cricket. With Jerome Taylor retired, he has stepped up as the leader of the pace attack.
Roach is no longer reliant on raw pace like he once was, a matured fast bowler he now understands when to bowl monotonous lines at a steady pace to frustrate the batsmen and when to go all out-and-out carnage. This was visible in his determined innings returns of 5/72 at Lord's last year where he not only set up batsmen with fiery bursts of short bowling but proceeded to snaffle them with traditional test match bowling. He has the rare ability to get the ball skid off the pitch, and in pace north of 90 miles an hour, he can cause trouble for the batsmen, especially on the slow tracks of Bridgetown and Port of Spain.