Vasbert Drakes says the pace of former sprinter Chemar Holder can make a fierce West Indies attack even more potent in the Test series against England.
Uncapped 22-year-old Holder was named in the touring party following some outstanding domestic performances for Barbados Pride in the West Indies Championship.
The Barbadian gave a demonstration of his huge potential back in 2016 when the Windies won the Under-19 Cricket World Cup and could make his senior debut during a three-match series in England, which starts behind closed doors at the Ageas Bowl next Wednesday.
Former West Indies fast bowler and assistant coach Drakes has helped to nurture Holder’s talent and thinks he can cause England problems if he is given an opportunity.
Drakes told Stats Perform News: “I’ve known Chemar from a young age, he went to school with my son, Dominic, and they have come through the system together and been part of the group of West Indies Emerging Players.
“I have done some one-to-one coaching work with him and he’s got some good attributes, good skill sets. He’s a hard worker and used to be a sprinter, he was a 400 metres runner and also competed in the 1500 metres.
“When he gets it right, he’s consistently in the high 80s [miles per hour]. The only way to find out if he’s ready is to throw him in at the deep end against England.
“He would have played against England A team last year and would have gone to England the year before that as part of the Emerging Players group, so he would have had the experience of bowling in those conditions.”
Kemar Roach was among 12 members of the Windies squad who Drakes worked with before they flew out to England for the first international cricket since the coronavirus pandemic brought the vast majority of sport to a halt.
Roach was man of the series when West Indies won a Test series against England in the Caribbean last year and Drakes, who was assistant coach for that 2-1 triumph, says he can make a big impact again.
Asked if Roach will be the spearhead of the attack, he replied: “Absolutely. One of the things he did well last year was he took early wickets.
“Without giving away too much methodology in how to deconstruct the opposition gameplan and counter them, Kemar Roach has the ability to take early wickets, releasing the ball from wide of the crease and moving away from batsmen – particularly the right-handers.
“His track record against left-handers is phenomenal and England have some left-handers. Kemar and Jason [captain Holder], they set the tone along with [Alzarri] Joseph and Shannon Gabriel can be a threat with his pace and uncertainty he creates.
“It will be interesting to see if that combination can work as it did in the Caribbean.” (Sportsmax)
