Barbados Cricket Association article.
Bridgetown, Barbados - There is optimism of injured Barbados Pride and West Indies Test bowlers Kemar Roach and Jomel Warrican returning to the first-class arena soon.
Experienced pacer Roach pulled up with a hamstring complaint after bowling only 3.1 overs on the opening day of the sixth round WICB PCL four-day match against Windward Islands Volcanoes at Kensington Oval on February 12, while left-arm spinner Warrican, who only made his international debut four months ago, has been sidelined with a finger ailment after playing in the NAGICO Super50 Championship in Trinidad & Tobago last month.
But in giving an update on both players, chairman of the Barbados Pride selectors Henderson Wallace conceded that he was somewhat surprised by the swift progress, which the 27-year-old Roach was making for what was described as a Grade 1 tear of the right hamstring.
"What was very disappointing for myself, from the work that Kemar had been putting in, in the nets and certainly leading up to that last round game, we were all very excited about seeing what he was really going to produce," Wallace said in an exclusive interview on Mid Wicket, The Real Cricket Show, on the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (100.7 FM) on Tuesday night.
"He was really hitting the straps. He had done some slight remodelling with Roddy Estwick (Barbados Pride fast bowling consultant) and the ball appeared to be coming out nicely in the nets so we were really excited to see what was going to come from Kemar in that match against the Windward Islands.
"We were very disappointed that he wasn't able to actually stay on the pitch. It was very unfortunate but these things happen in sport."
Asked how soon he expected Roach to return to the middle, Wallace responded: "You know the medical team are always very reluctant to pin down a time, but the report I got was that he was making excellent progress and to hear the word 'excellent' is very encouraging. We are being told that he is on the right path so we expect him back on the pitch sooner rather than later."
Roach, himself, was very upbeat as he he took a jog around the field at Kensington Oval on Friday - the opening day of the top-of-the-table clash between Barbados Pride and defending champions and front-runners Guyana Jaguars.
"In about a week so or, I should be okay," he told BCAcricket.org shortly after "hailing up" the Guyana players and exchanging a handshake with bearded left-handed batsman Assad Fudadin, whose last of three Tests was in a winning cause by five wickets against New Zealand in Jamaica four years ago when Roach was also in the side.
In relation to the 23-year-old Warrican, Wallace reckoned proper rest was needed, especially since the injury was on his spinning finger.
"Just remember in professional sport now, it is very unlikely you are going to play injury-free. You always have a niggle of some sorts. Again It comes back to the point that we mentioned earlier that the medical team sometimes have to depend on the honesty and the integrity of the player and make their decision based on medical evidence along with what is coming from the player," Wallace said.
"In the NAGICO, Jomel Warrican was able to play with the discomfort. It didn't appear to affect him too much and then it came to a time now where there was some information and stuff on the finger with the ligaments and we felt that he should give it every possible opportunity to heal properly.
"It's on his spinning finger and as you know these spinners bowl a lot of overs. We felt that if he rushed back there was a likelihood that the whole trauma of trying to grip that ball with that index finger could more or less affect the full recovery.
"And what I said to Jomel Warrican coming from the selection panel.. that you don't have to rush back to prove anything. You want to make sure that you give it the best possible opportunity to recover fully so that when you come back on the pitch you are able to execute and perform to the best of your ability. Not to be performing at 60 or 65 percent because we are not at that desperate stage.
"I said, 'we have resources' so we want that when he comes back on the stage that Jomel Warrican is at his best."
Roach is a veteran of 37 Tests since his debut against Bangladesh in the Caribbean in 2009. He has 122 wickets at 30.23 runs apiece.
In four Tests, Warrican has 11 wickets at an average of 46.27. He bowled 45 overs on his debut against Sri Lanka in late October and did the brunt of the bowling in the three-Test series against Australia "Down Under", reeling off 77 overs.
Then in the NAGICO Super50, Warrican bowled 45 overs in five matches. Informed sources said at the time, it was felt he should take a rest to have the injury healed properly and he was not chosen for the re-start of the 2015-16 first-class Championship after playing two matches in the first phase.
First Published On bcacricket.org.