We took too long to adapt to the conditions, says Roston Chase

West Indies captain Roston Chase acknowledged that his team's response to the pitch conditions proved slower than necessary during the second Test against Pakistan at Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad, from August 2 to 6, 2026. Pakistan secured an eight-wicket victory to level the series 1-1 after West Indies had won the first Test at Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba by 90 runs.

Chase reflected on the team's preparation and early tactical approach following the match. The West Indies captain addressed how the surface behaved differently from what the team had anticipated before play began.

"I don't want to say we misread the pitch, but we didn't think that it was going to spin as much from so early," Chase said as quoted by Cricinfo.

The pitch at Queen's Park Oval offered significant turn from the opening stages, which placed immediate pressure on West Indies' bowling strategy. Chase explained that the conditions did not favour the pace bowlers as much as the surface at the first Test venue had done, forcing the team to recalibrate its approach mid-match.

As captain, Chase faced a difficult decision about his own participation in the match. He balanced his responsibility to lead the side with the tactical need for additional bowling options on a turning surface.

"I think that we took a bit too long to adapt to the conditions. Captaining the side, I would never leave myself out to play anyone else," Chase said.

Chase sustained an index finger injury during the match, which limited his bowling contribution. He reflected on the absence of another key bowler and the impact it had on West Indies' ability to manage the spinning conditions.

"Yeah, it was a big miss for me because when things tend to start straying away, Justin is a guy that I can always call on to come and pull it back. He's that guy that he's more of a holding bowler, but he holds so well that it creates so much pressure that he tends to get wickets as well, by batsmen making mistakes, and we saw it in the last game - once he gets going, he's really hard to stop. So, yeah, it was a big miss for us as well with that injury. So I just hope that he can get back to full fitness as quick as possible." Chase said.

Chase acknowledged the strength of West Indies' bowling attack lay primarily in pace bowling. He praised the efforts of Jomel Warrican, who bowled with patience and discipline on the turning pitch.

"Obviously with a bowling attack like ours, the strength is in the pace bowling. I would have liked obviously a bit more grass and something a bit more advantageous to the fast bowlers, but we didn't get that, and we saw it from even before the game started, so we knew what was in front of us but I would still like to have a pitch that would have assisted the fast bowlers a bit more," said Chase.

"Yeah, I thought his effort was a magnificent one. I mean, he bowled really long for those wickets, and I thought his patience was up to par. I thought he really stuck to the task and just put the ball in front of the batsman and allowed the pitch to work for him, and he finally reaped the reward," he added.

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Chase also offered encouragement to veteran fast bowler Kemar Roach, who has surpassed 300 Test wickets. The captain expressed his belief that Roach still had much to contribute to West Indies cricket.

"Kemar Roach, he's a legend. I will always encourage Kemar to keep going. I think Kemar is kind of a guy that, he knows himself, he knows his limits, he knows his body. And for me, if I had to say it, I think it would be up to Kemar for when he's ready to call it quits. He's been doing very well for us - past 300 wickets, he still has a lot to offer. I will always encourage Kemar to keep going," Chase concluded.