Roston Chase Interview: 'There's still a place for anchors in T20 cricket'

Nine games, seven attractive wins, 14 points and top of the table. 

St Lucia Kings have been on a roll this year at the Caribbean Premier League. While that might surprise and shock some people, it doesn’t have that sort of underlying tone for those who follow the tournament regularly. 

Over the last five years, the franchise based in St Lucia have been the most consistent side in the tournament. They don’t have the Nicholas Poorans, Andre Russells, Quinton de Kocks, or Sunil Narine, for that matter. 

But they have a team built on the very simple ethos of everyone contributing to the team and pulling their way up and up. If you look at the setup, none apart from Faf du Plessis is a certified superstar, but that hasn’t stopped them from trashing the odds at the top of the table. 

One man who knows the franchise from the inside out is none other than the 32-year-old all-rounder Roston Chase. Across his last 52 T20 appearances, almost half (25) have come for the Kings, who he has witnessed growing at close quarters. 

“St Lucia’s setup really allows and gives people the opportunity to play any role that they are comfortable in. We are not a team that is filled with superstars. We are a team where everyone has to pull their way for the team to do well,” Chase tells Cricket.com from his stint with the Kings. 

“I just think it is a more all-round team than the others in the CPL, who are heavily dependent on one or two guys. We use our camaraderie and our bonding to win games. That significance is playing for the family.”

While he might not have headlined any game thus far, Chase’s contribution to the Kings has been quite valuable. Across the nine games that the Kings have played, Chase has made equally crucial contributions with the bat and the ball. 

One of them was on September 24 (Tuesday), when Kings’ skipper du Plessis handed the ball to Chase to pick up the prized scalp of Pooran in the clash against Trinbago Knight Riders. After being smacked for four off the very first ball, Chase used all his experience to outwit Pooran by giving the ball some loop and air. 

It not only tempted Pooran into going for a big shot but also resulted in his downfall, giving the Kings a crucial breakthrough in a mammoth run chase of 219. Unlike other off-spinners in the world, Chase does not have a carrom ball or use the crease. So, what makes him effective? A change of speed. 

“As an off-spin bowler, I don’t really vary that much at the crease or with the crease. I’m not going to lie, I now vary in terms of my spin, sometimes I will spin a lot or spin it small. I try to vary my pace and not the other aspects. I don’t try to vary it based on the angle because in T20s, I find that my control isn’t that much. I like being as accurate as possible,” he had to say about his bowling. 

His role with the bat is also a popular debating question: what is the need for an anchor in modern-day aggressive cricket? 

“I think T20 cricket, although it is a short format, there are so many balls you have to work with. There’s a place for holding role in any innings, especially in a team filled with boundary hitters. It is a big necessity in such a team. There’s still a place for anchors in T20 cricket,” he said. 

The dreaded word “Anchor”, how does that really help any team, you wonder? Over the last six months, there have been numerous occasions where that very anchoring has helped Chase be a hero. As recently as in the clash against Barbados Royals, with the Kings chasing 97, they needed someone with Chase’s expertise to anchor the run chase after being reduced to 2/16 in just the third over. 

But that doesn’t go on to say that Chase is a one-dimensional player; he has massively improved his power-hitting abilities over the years, with 44 boundaries this year, the most he has had in a year since 2021. 

“I think my development over the years in T20 cricket, it has evolved so much. When I first came into T20 cricket, I was not so confident and not so strong in hitting boundaries, mainly sixes. But over the years, I have worked on it somewhat, and I’m a bit confident going into my power game. I would say that mainly that where my game really improved is the power-hitting aspect when its necessary. I have tried to improve my fielding as well.”

While Chase’s franchise cricket is going on the right course, there are some major hiccups for him when it comes to international cricket. His last Test appearance for the national team came all the way back in March 2023, after which he has been left out of the setup. It is clear as daylight during the conversation with Chase that ‘Test cricket’ still remains his first love. 

“I don’t want to say that I’m taking a break from Test cricket. But I’m not being involved in the setup. I’m now being involved in various franchise setups. My mind is now settled on that. I don’t want to say that I have given up on Test cricket, it is still my first love. So, maybe someday, I will get back,” he talked about his red-ball career. 

But that doesn’t blind Chase from the reality that he wants to help the West Indies achieve greater laurels in the white-ball formats right now, starting with the upcoming England tour. 

“With the England series coming up in October, I would say that I just want to do well. I really haven’t thought about it just yet. Because CPL is on right now, my mind is focused on that. Generally, I just want to do well, with bat and ball, to help my team win games and essentially win the series. The goal for any team going into any series is to win it.”

Over the last eight years, Chase has seen it all for a cricketer: the highs and the mighty lows that he and the West Indies have suffered at the international level. One thing that has kept him going through all of this is his hunger to be ‘good at everything’. Until that hunger dies out, Chase is always going to be chasing the eternal sunset.

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