“It’s a good feeling to find some form after struggling for the past year in the batting department,” Chase said ahead of the first of two Tests against Pakistan, starting Saturday. “That knock gave me a lot of confidence, gave me a lot of relief, to know that I can actually come and perform for the team. And as a leader as well – I think when you’re a leader that goes out there and leads by example, I think everyone has a different level of respect for you and they believe in you even more and they want to play for you even more.
“So it’s a good feeling for me. And, as I said, I’m in a good space right now and the team is in a good space right now. So I’m very glad for that performance.”
It was Chase’s sixth Test century, but the first since February 2019, a gap of 28 games.
“Well, we’re going to see when I get to the ground tomorrow. Right now, it’s not 100% obviously, but I bowled a few balls yesterday and I still have a bit of pain,” he said. “But as I see it, I still have a bit of time before the first ball is bowled. So hopefully it can have an improvement by then.”
“I just urge them to be the same person that they were playing those four-day games. Just try to bring that same mentality. And just be yourself, be natural, and don’t put too much pressure on yourselves. And I think that they will go well”
Roston Chase on the returning Kirk McKenzie and first-timer Joshua Bishop
“Yeah, for this championship, we initially set out that we wanted to finish around fifth or sixth in the table. We didn’t want to jump too far ahead of ourselves. We wanted to set a realistic goal and we came up with that goal,” Chase said. “So it’s very important for us to come and win this series against Pakistan. And I think once we do that, I think we’ll find our way close to sixth or fifth on the table.
“I think it’s very important, as I said, for us to come and win this series, to head in the [right] direction in terms of climbing that table. And not only the Test Championship table, but the actual Test ranking table. We want to move up the rankings from down at the bottom of the table. And it’s been a while since West Indies cricket have been mid-table, like sixth, fifth. So we really want to get back up there and really want to make the nation proud.”
“McKenzie had a taste of international cricket before, so he’s coming back. But this is going to be Bishop’s first time. So we’re just looking to give these guys some confidence and rally around them, because, obviously, coming into a new arena and coming back, you can have a bit of nerves,” Chase said. “So we just want to embrace them and wish them well in the series if they do get the opportunity to play.
“But these two guys had an outstanding series in the WI Championship that has just gone. So they just need to grow on that, build on that, the confidence that they took from those performances.
“And just bring them here. I just urge them to be the same person that they were playing those four-day games. Just try to bring that same mentality. And just be yourself, be natural, and don’t put too much pressure on yourselves. And I think that they will go well.”
