With history and heart on their side, West Indies captain Roston Chase is backing his side to bounce back from a disappointing opening Test defeat and deliver a more complete performance in the second Test of their three-match series against world number one Australia in Grenada.
The contest, which gets underway on Thursday at the Grenada National Stadium, holds extra significance—not only as a potential series leveller, but as the stage for veteran opener Kraigg Brathwaite’s 100th Test appearance. The milestone adds emotional weight to a match where the West Indies will be seeking redemption and renewed confidence.
Despite a promising start in Barbados, the Caribbean side faltered badly on day three, with dropped catches and lapses in concentration proving costly. Chase did not shy away from admitting his side’s shortcomings.
“I thought we fell down on the third morning. We had our plans set, and we got an opportunity that we were looking for, but we blew it, and I thought after that the guys went into the shadows mentally. And then we strayed away from the plans that we had set, and we offered up too many runs that were obviously too much for us to get,” Chase said in a pre-game press conference.
The fielding, too, came under scrutiny, as several key chances went begging, including a crucial dropped catch off Travis Head, who went on to anchor Australia’s second-innings push.
“As they say, catches win matches, and we put down quite a few. Even though we restricted them to 180 in the first innings, that Travis Head chance was very crucial. He was obviously the main batter on their side with Steve Smith out, and he made us pay for it. Then [Beau] Webster and [Alex] Carey just fed off that momentum. After that, the spirit in the team dropped, and we never recovered,” Chase admitted.
Still, the West Indies skipper remains undeterred. With Brathwaite poised to etch his name among Caribbean cricket greats, Chase believes the team can channel that inspiration into a renewed effort.
“I think it’s an amazing feat for Kraigg. Obviously coming from Barbados, I think he’s a modern-day legend, and he’s someone I look up to. One thing that he did state, probably early in his career or before starting his career, was that he wanted to play 100 Tests. So I think that that’s an amazing achievement that someone can set the goal from so early and achieve it after so many years,” Chase noted.
With Grenada’s National Stadium having hosted just four Tests since 2009, its telling trend somewhat favours the Windies, as the team batting second has won the last three matches at the venue. Brathwaite himself has previously scored a century at the venue, and with the surface expected to offer more even bounce than the pitch in Bridgetown, Chase believes conditions could be just right.
“This is my first match playing in a Test match in Grenada, so I’m looking forward to it. The pitch looks like a good one. It looks evenly grassed, and it looks better than Barbados, even though I am Barbadian. But yeah, I’m looking for it,” Chase said.
That said, Chase also acknowledged the bigger picture, that the team, though still developing, has shown flashes of brilliance that hint at their potential to challenge the world’s best.
“Cricket is played on the day. You could have a bad match and still come back the next day and shine. We’ve had some good moments in this series. Now it’s about putting all the pieces together,” he ended.
