Kemar Roach hits 300 Test wickets as Indies crush Sri Lanka

Veteran fast bowler Kemar Roach became the fifth West Indian to claim 300 Test wickets on Sunday, June 28, as the West Indies completed a crushing innings-and-217-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test at North Sound, Antigua. The win gives the hosts a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

Roach, 37, reached the milestone by bowling Sri Lanka’s Asitha Fernando with a full delivery that shattered the stumps, leaving the visitors at 84 for 9 in their second innings. He finished the innings with four wickets for 51 runs, contributing to Sri Lanka’s dismissal for just 101 on the fourth day. The West Indies had declared their first innings at 626 for 9, built on a world-record 401-run sixth-wicket partnership between Amir Jangoo (233) and captain Roston Chase (194), securing a commanding 318-run lead.

Roach now joins an elite group of West Indies bowlers: Courtney Walsh (519 wickets), Curtly Ambrose (405), Malcolm Marshall (376), and Lance Gibbs (309). He is the first West Indian to reach the 300-wicket mark since Ambrose.

The West Indies pace attack dominated throughout the final day, with Jayden Seales taking three wickets for 14 runs and Shamar Joseph claiming two for 19. The...