Phil Simmons heaped praise on his fast bowlers who put West Indies in the driver's seat early in the second Test in St Lucia. The West Indian pacers picked up wickets on slow wickets and it showed in the stats with Alzarri Joseph and Kemar Roach topping the wicket-taking charts with 12 and 10 wickets respectively in 2 Tests as the hosts whitewashed the visitors 2-0. Roach in the process surpassed 250 Test wickets, going past Michael Holding.
"(Roach) is helping the fast bowlers to mature quicker," said Simmons on Monday (June 27). "I think he has an exceptional influence on all the young fast bowlers. He has taken his role as the senior pro very seriously. It shows on the field. You can see him talking to them, who are trying to do the right things all the time. I think his influence has been massive to these young fast bowlers."
Apart from Joseph and Roach, Anderson Philip had an impressive debut, while Jayden Seales and Kyle Mayers chipped in with timely wickets as Bangladesh were restricted to below 250 across all four innings.
"The first (Test) wicket wasn't conducive to fast bowling but we got them out for low scores," Simmons said. "In this Test match, to get them bowled out on the first day on a comparatively slow wicket, gave us the driver's seat. The fast bowlers deserve a lot of credit. We have worked hard in the two series, and come out victorious. This one maybe wasn't as hard as the first one, the important thing is that at the end of the day, the W is behind the two Tests. We won 2-0 in Bangladesh in 2021 as well. You have to take all those things, and sit back and enjoy it."
Mayers, not just was impressive with the ball, but his all-round prowess was on display, even having scored his second Test century in the second Test.
"He brings in the wicket-taking factor. He is not express, but he puts the ball in the right areas. If he bats normally, he scores quickly in all three formats. I have to get him to understand that he needs to bat normally. Once we get that, he is going to be a force to be reckoned with."
