“it’s a slight advantage for us ” – Kemar Roach admits he was surprised absence of James Anderson, Stuart Broad

West Indies bowler Kemar Roach admits he was surprised to see England leave out his old sparring partners James Anderson and Stuart Broad and believes the decision is good news for his side.

As the leader of the West Indies attack, Roach has previously enjoyed pitting his wits against the experienced pair and thinks they will be missed.

“It was quite surprising. I definitely thought both would still be involved,” he said.

“Decisions have been made from that end and it’s a slight advantage for us. Those experienced players missing leaves a little bit of a hole for England to fill.

“Robinson, Woakes and Wood are still fantastic bowlers, we still take them seriously, but once we get our plans right we should be good going into the series.” he added

At 33, Roach is six years Anderson’s junior and two years younger than Broad, but with 231 wickets in 68 Tests he is the senior seamer in the home squad.

Roach, who needs just four more wickets to equal fellow Barbadian Sir Garfield Sobers’ Test wicket tally of 235.

he also said he is proud of west indies’ home record against England Since 1968 and The Windies Bowler hopes to defend a proud home record against England for 100 years.

“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 want to lose that record, so it would be great to win the series, and take that tradition and that record further and further forward.”

“Hopefully, we can hold it for 100 years. that would be fantastic. But this is a stepping stone as we go ahead.”

“I always put my best foot forward for the West Indies, for me, playing against England is definitely one of the hallmarks of your career, so it’s all about expressing yourself, being positive and taking it to the English,” Roach added.

Roach was named player of the series last time England toured in 2019, taking 19 wickets as the West Indies won 2-1.

“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.”

West Indies and England will clash for the first Test match on March 8 at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.