Kemar Roach

Kemar Roach is a Barbadian cricketer known to the sport’s fans for his superlative bowling skills. Since his test debut for the West Indies in 2008, he has taken more than 240 wickets in 71 test matches, becoming ranked as one of the finest fast bowlers in the world. He has played for clubs in India, England, Australia, and in the Caribbean League. His most recent domestic spell was with Surrey, for whom he scored a career-best 8/40 in 2021. His time with the club ended in spring 2022 due to a hamstring injury, and he returned to his Caribbean home.

Roach was born in Saint Lucy, the northernmost point of Barbados, in 1988. The island is known for its fast bowlers and Roach proved no exception, leading to his being picked for the West Indies Test match squad in 2008. He made his Twenty20 debut for them in 2009, taking 2/29 in just three overs — the best bowling figures of the match. He got his Test debut later that year, taking advantage of injury problems in the West Indies team to cement his place as a regular. At the 2010 IPL Auctions, he became the subject of a fierce bidding war, with Indian team the Decca Chargers finally winning his services.

In 2011, Roach achieved fame with a World Cup hat-trick — only the sixth in the tournament’s history — and scored 4/27, the fourth-best ODI bowling figures for a West Indies player. He has continued to excite fans and terrorise batsmen with his pace and flair ever since.