BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, (CMC) – West Indies Test captain Roston Chase believes the result in the opening Test match against Australia could have been different if several contentious calls had gone in their favour and if their fielding had been much better.
The home side went down by 159 runs in the first Test at Kensington Oval on Friday after an enthralling three days of cricket.
However, speaking during a post-match press conference following the defeat, Chase, who was leading the regional side in his first game as captain, said dubious decisions against himself and Shai Hope in their first innings changed the outcome of the match.
“This game is a frustrating one for me and for the team as well, because we bowled out Australia for a relatively low score. We were very happy with that, but there were so many questionable calls in the game and none of them went our way.
“As a player you’re out there giving your all, fighting, and then nothing is going your way, it could be heartbreaking and breaking a lot of momentum,” Chase said.
He said the decisions occurred at a critical time in the match, when he and Hope were putting together a partnership.
“I mean you see what set batters can do on the wicket. The wicket is one that once you get in you can get runs, but the hardest part is to get in.
“Me and Shai Hope were going well and then obviously we had some questionable calls and that really set us back in terms of creating a big lead on the total that Australia set,” Chase said.
“…I think it was a big factor in the game…because me and Hope were going well and then we just had some calls that went against us and we even had a catch that went against us in the first innings when we were bowling, so you never know what the score could have been, but I don’t want to harp on it.”
Chase said he felt officials needed to be held accountable for their actions.
“On the officiating, it’s frustrating because when we as players mess up, when we get out of line we’re penalised harshly. Sometimes we’re even banned or handed a monetary fine, but the officials, nothing ever happens to them. They just have a wrong decision, or a questionable decision and life just goes on.
“You’re talking about guys’ careers. One bad decision could make or break a guy’s career, so I just think that it should be an even playing ground in terms of when players step out of line and they’re penalised, I think that some penalty should be put in place when you have blatant decisions going against you,” the skipper said.
However, Chase also admitted that the West Indies produced a shoddy performance in the field, where they dropped no fewer than seven catches.
He said it was an area they would definitely have to improve on going forward.
“It’s not nice when bowlers are putting in all the effort and you’re not holding the chances. There is nothing I can say to justify the guys dropping the catches.
“I mean we’ve been working hard on the slip catches, every day we try to take at least 30 to 40 catches, but practice and in the game is a big difference,” Chase admitted.
“The ball comes off the bat differently with a genuine edge than when we are practicing, but I think it’s more of a belief and you always have to have that belief when you are in the slips, because when one goes down, I think guys tend to get a bit nervous and second guess their catching ability and sometimes it can throw you off.”