charles

Relentless | 🇱🇨

[Abhishek AB @ABsay_ek]

Kemar Roach was born stubborn.

At 5'8" he should have been a batter or maybe a spinner. In Caribbean, fast bowlers are supposed to look like they fell out of a coconut tree & kept growing. Roach just ran in faster than physics suggested he should.
In 2009, when senior players went on strike. West Indies had to pick a 2nd string side against Bangladesh with 9 debutants. Roach took 13 wickets in 2 matches. When big names came back, he was the only one they kept.

Then came WACA, December 2009. He hit Ricky Ponting in ribs,then elbow. almost 150 kmph. Ponting's forearm went into spasm. He could not hold the bat. He walked off the field, embarrassed, for first time in a long career. Roach dismissed him in 2nd innings immediately. He got Ponting out 5 times in 6 Tests.

But speed kills the bowler too. By 2013 his shoulder was gone. Surgery in Jamaica.then car crash. Rain on a Bridgetown road & his BMW flipped multiple times. He walked away with a cut on his head. his shoulder though never came back the same. In Australia 2015 he took no wickets in 3 Tests. Dropped & forgktten. His pace had dropped from 88 miles per hour to 80. At that speed, at that height, you are supposed to disappear.

Instead he rebuilt everything. His action, angle, his mind. He became a seam surgeon. Round the wicket to left handers. A front leg brace. Late swing. Since 2018 he has taken 153 wickets at 24.34 average & 48.9 strike rate. Only Bumrah, Cummins & Rabada have taken more wickets than him with better average & strike rate. Mind You, Roach turned 30 years in 2018 itself.

In 2021 Surrey signed him. He took 97 wickets for them. Surrey won 3 consecutive County Championships.
West Indies dropped him again in 2025. Director of cricket wanted youth. Then injury crisis in New Zealand & they called him back. He batted for 233 balls for 58* in almost 5 hours to save a Test.

Then yesterday at Antigua, he bowled Asitha Fernando & became first West Indian to 300 Test wickets since Curtly Ambrose in 1997. 29 years between them. His teammates mobbed him. A shirt with 300 on the back.

West Indies cricket is supposed to be about pairs & quartets. Walsh-Ambrose & Marshall-Holding. Roach did it alone. 161 Test innings & 2590 overs without anyone truly sharing the load. And still he got there.

[🇬🇭 @shortemz_1]

They might stop the World Cup midway gang

[Malo @_maloklm]

Vous avez célébrer un titre de Champion d’Afrique attribué par mail 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[Tomi @tomiwebstr]

senegal are you ready to kill yourself for africa?

[Oyiga Micheal @Nsukka_okpa]

I just realized that every player is placed exactly where their country belongs on the map of Africa.

Graphic designers will forever eat. These are levels AI will never reach.

[Dr. Allison Wiltz @queenie4rmnola]

So that’s why white people didn't assimilate to Native American culture?

[charles @jevo_n]

Simeone should be a starter btw @scaloni

[Hater Central @TheHateCentral]

Took them 10 minutes to come up with that image and they expect me to believe it over my own eyes

[charles @jevo_n]

Immediately one of my favorite videos of all time

[Mr. Akyeampong @MrAkyeampong]

Yes

[charles @jevo_n]

#hatewatching

[♥️ @LdotNatalie]

I thought they were stealing your jobs

[espiaimperial @EspiaImperial]

Nunca en tu vida Elon te va a dar de comer.

[我不喜欢万税爷✈🚇🏳️‍🌈 @HikoukiHikouki9]

What happens if you get fat in this kind of friend group do they kill you

[J!REH 🏆 @jirehpc]

People can’t read anymore so they just think everything means whatever they want it to mean lol

[isabel @shutupisabel]

pilot paused and very carefully said we would be landing at 11 minutes past 9

[JT🇩🇪 @jervel_official]

Why language is so important

[Ernest Coleman @cole__xy]

Stubborn England denies Ghana a victory after a scandalous referee decision robs Ghana of a stonewall penalty.