Roston Chase has taken on the role of West Indies Test captain, marking a comeback as he hasn’t played a Test since facing South Africa over two years ago. His captaincy will debut at his home ground in Bridgetown, leading the team in a three-Test series against Australia starting on 25th June. This series serves as the opener for both teams in the 2025-27 World Test Championship.
Chase, who has previously captained the West Indies in one ODI and one T20I match, succeeds Kraigg Brathwaite. Brathwaite stepped down in March after overseeing 39 Test matches, achieving ten wins, seven draws, and 22 losses. Under his leadership, the West Indies showed promising resilience, highlighted by victories such as a home series win against England in 2022 and a Test win in Gabba in January 2024. His tenure concluded with a 1-1 draw in Pakistan in January 2025.
When Brathwaite resigned, Shai Hope, already the ODI captain, was appointed as the T20I captain. Cricket West Indies delayed naming a Test captain until now, having announced they would decide “in the coming weeks.”
At 33, Chase owns a record of 2265 runs, averaging 26.33, with five centuries, alongside 85 wickets with his off-spin at an average of 46.00. A crucial challenge for him will be improving his declining batting figures, which once showed great promise. He notably scored a century in his second Test to save a match against India in 2016. In his first ten Tests, he maintained an impressive average of 48.53, but subsequent performances saw a downturn.
Cricket West Indies shared Chase’s appointment on X, formerly Twitter, noting the decision received “unanimous approval by the CWI Board of Directors” during a recent meeting.
More details are expected to follow.
