Chase reacts to West Indies’ humiliating collapse in third test against Australia

JAMAICA: West Indies captain Roston Chase on Tuesday described his team’s dramatic batting collapse in the third Test against Australia as 'heartbreaking' and 'embarrassing,' following a crushing defeat that completed a 3-0 series whitewash.

Speaking after the match, Chase expressed disappointment at the way his side faltered yet again in a crucial moment.

“It’s disappointing. We’ve been putting ourselves in positions to win games, and then we just lay down and don’t put up a fight in the last innings,” he said. 

“It’s quite heartbreaking, because I think we did it in all three Tests. We’re not really learning from our mistakes, that’s something we really need to look at.”

Chase refused to lay blame on the pitch conditions, instead asserting that the target was very much within reach.

“Being bowled out for less than 30 is obviously quite embarrassing. I didn’t think there were too many demons in the wicket. 

"It wasn’t like the last two games where the ball was rolling or bouncing inconsistently. But obviously, when you’re 11 for 6, it’s very difficult to recover from there,” he admitted.

The skipper acknowledged the batting challenges across the series, noting that the surfaces favoured bowlers but also crediting both sides’ bowling attacks.

“I think the pitches were very tough. I don’t want to say they were overly in favour of the bowlers, but this is probably the first series I’ve played where no batter from either side scored a century. That just shows how dominant the bowlers were,” he said.

Chase admitted that significant work needs to be done if the West Indies are to rebuild and improve before their next red-ball assignment a tour of India in October.

“We need to take a deep look at ourselves as batters. We’ve got time on our side now, so we have to assess what went wrong and figure out how to consistently post totals of 300 or more,” he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention that, chasing a modest target of 204 on the third day at Sabina Park, the West Indies were skittled out for just 27 runs in 14.3 overs, registering the second-lowest total in Test cricket history. Only New Zealand's 26 all out in 1955 remains lower.