West Indian pace bowler, Kemar Roach, has dedicated his ten wickets in the second Test match against Australia to legendary seamer, Malcolm Marshall, who would have turned 54 on Wednesday.
Roach, was the shining star of the West Indian bowling attack, as the match was drawn due to constant rain interruptions.
Roach, who took a five-wicket haul in both the first and second innings of the match, said: “Today would have been Malcolm Marshall’s 54th birthday, it’s a special day, I looked up to him as a bowler.”
“I’ve watched a lot of clips of him and he was just such a great, great bowler. He was the best in the world at the time. I can’t really explain it, it’s a good feeling to know that I got some wickets on his birthday and it makes me feel warm as a West Indian to know I can go out there and perform for the West Indies like he did,” he added.
Marshall, who died at the age of 41 from cancer, is a native of Barbados, just like Roach.
The bowling legend, was known to be a master of pace and swing, taking an outstanding 376 wickets in 81 Test matches, at a brilliant average of 20.94.
Roach, stated that he plans to continue working on his bowling before the third Test.
“I know where I have a better chance of getting them out now so I’ll be working hard in the nets to keep being accurate and consistent. Hopefully I’ll keep blasting through the top order,” he said.
Roach, also noted that he especially enjoyed watching the off-stump do a cartwheel when he dismissed Shane Watson.
“It was a good sight, I really enjoyed that one. Shane Watson’s a great batsman, I rate him a lot and to get him on that wicket, is a good achievement,” he said.
Roach, claimed that he was able to get ten wickets, since he bowled on an accurate line and length, which constantly asked questions of the Australian batsmen.
“The lower the bounce in the pitch, you obviously want to challenge the stumps a bit more, keep your pace up, be as accurate as possible and challenge the batsmen’s technique. That’s what got me wickets,” he said.
By getting ten wickets in the second Test match, Roach, has become the first West Indian bowler to accomplish the milestone, after pace legend, Curtly Ambrose, did it back in 1993.