England vs West Indies: No friendship with Jofra Archer during Tests, says Kemar Roach

West Indies pacer Kemar Roach has warned Barbadian-born speedster Jofra Archer that there will be no love lost between the two when Windies and England take to the field for the three-match Test series starting July 8.

Archer represented the West Indies at the Under-19 level in three matches before opting to play senior cricket for England, where his father was born. Archer will take on the Windies for the first time when the two teams meet at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton in the first Test. However, Roach said that Archer has been doing a fantastic job for his career.

“Jofra’s made a decision and I think he’s doing a fantastic job for his career. Obviously there’ll be no friendships at the start of this series,” Roach told reporters via Zoom.

Archer was one of the picks of the bowlers in the ICC World Cup 2019 where he helped England lift their maiden 50-over World Cup by claiming 20 wickets. He followed his stupendous performance in the 2019 Ashes series.

It’s all about winning and playing our cricket: Roach

“It’s all about winning and playing our cricket. If we come up against Jofra, we’ll devise a fantastic plan to counter it. I’m looking forward to that battle,” Roach said.

“I saw him as a youngster in domestic cricket back home in Barbados. I always thought he was talented and obviously it has shown over the years.

“He came over here and has done a fantastic job and I want to wish him all the best in his career.”

After the first Test in Southampton, the subsequent two matches of the three-match rubber will be played at the Old Trafford in Manchester. All the matches will be played behind closed doors with the series being the first international bilateral series to be played following the prolonged break due to COVID-19 pandemic.