Roston Chase Voices Concern About Infrastructure Problem in Caribbean Cricket

West Indies test captain Roston Chase has highlighted the fact that Caribbean cricket is currently facing a lot of financial problems. He said that the infrastructure and training facilities in the Caribbean are not up to the mark. As a result, players are unable to train properly as they should for international cricket. He didn’t mark it as an excuse for poor performances, but as a fact that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.

Looking at the recent performance of West Indies in test cricket, one could easily see why Roston Chase has given such a statement. West Indies have lost five out of six test matches this year, showing that they are consistently being defeated by the more established sides in cricket. Yesterday, they lost to India at Ahmedabad quite badly. It was a dismal performance from the whole WI team that made the contest with India look one-sided.

"I think the systems in the Caribbean are a bit poor in terms of training facilities and stuff. I am not using that as an excuse or something to hide behind for poor performances that we've been putting out lately. I still think that the onus is on the players to find some way to churn up runs and wickets and stuff.” said Roston Chase after the India test match.

He further highlighted that Caribbean cricket is in need of strong finances. This is one of those facts that has been specified by multiple West Indian greats over a period of time. Unfortunately, things haven’t changed that much in the Caribbean, which is why their cricket is still struggling badly at the international level.

"But what I would say is yes, there is obviously a struggle in the Caribbean for finances. So whatever help we can get, if they are planning to get the help, I hope that we do get it so that we could strengthen the infrastructure for cricket." said Roston Chase.

The batting department of West Indies is specifically struggling for a long period of time. It has been noted that the talent coming through the domestic circuit of WI is not suitable for international cricket. We could hardly name one or two players who have produced strong performances in test cricket during the last few years. Due to this, the batting of WI looks highly fragile, both in home and away conditions.

In the last 15 test innings, West Indies have crossed the 250 mark only once. This clearly specifies the batting dilemma WI is currently facing in international cricket. The West Indian captain attributed this to the lack of quality infrastructure and batting-friendly pitches in the Caribbean.

"Yeah, that is some of the infrastructure problems that we do have. The pitches in the Caribbean are not really batsman-friendly. So guys don't really bat for long periods and score those big scores. And then, too, the outfields in the Caribbean are really slow. When you hit the ball in the gaps, you probably end up struggling to get two. Those are just some of the problems that we are faced with in the Caribbean.” said Roston Chase.

In the first test against India at Ahmedabad, West Indies failed to cross even 200 mark in each innings. They got bowled out within 80 overs, courtesy of some fine bowling by Siraj, Bumrah and others in the Indian attack. Roston Chase admitted that failing to bat through the day and score big in the first innings was the reason they lost the match.

"We've not been able to at least bat 80 overs, bat a day or even get at least 250 or 300 runs on the board," Chase said. "Anytime you win a toss in a Test match and bat and you don't bat out the first day, you're always going to be in trouble.” said Roston Chase.

West Indies will now face India in the second test at Delhi. They will need solid planning against the Indian bowlers to deliver a good performance with the bat. It would be interesting to see how they will turn things around, as the batting lineup is currently looking low on confidence.